Letocetum The earliest evidence of settlement in Wall is the discovery of flints dating to the
Neolithic period found in the upper part of Wall village. The first detailed evidence of human settlement comes in the 1st century. A
Roman fort named
Etocetum (reflecting an
indigenous name reconstructed as *
Lētocaiton or "Greywood") was established at Wall in or soon after AD 50 to accommodate
Legio XIV, then advancing towards
Wales. A fort was certainly built in the upper area of the village near to the present church in 50s or 60s and
Watling Street was constructed to the south in the 70s. A
bath house and
mansio was built on the lower ground south west of the fort in the late 1st century for use by its soldiers. It was later used by the inhabitants of a civilian settlement which grew up around Watling Street. in 2023 In the 2nd century the settlement covered approximately west of the later Wall Lane. By the 1st or 2nd century there was a burial area beyond the western end of the settlement. ("
Fort Grey Woods") listed by
Nennius among the 28 cities of
Britain in his
History of the Britains.
Modern Wall Development of Wall since the Romans has been slow, and it has never developed beyond a small village. The earliest medieval settlement may have been on the higher ground. Wall House on Green Lane, although dating from the 18th century, is probably on the site of the medieval manor house. Wall Hall to the south also dates from the mid 18th century but replaced a house which existed in the 17th century. By the late 18th century several dwellings were built on Watling Street west of Manor Farm and formed the lower part of the village. In 1839 the church was built, and in 1843 was consecrated as the
Church of England parish church of St John. The architects were
George Gilbert Scott and
William Moffatt. The church consists of a
nave, a
chancel and a west
steeple. The steeple has a three-stage tower with diagonal
buttresses and a west door; it is square at the base, rises to become octagonal, and is surmounted by a spire with
lucarnes. The east window has three lights and is in
Perpendicular style. The Trooper Inn existed by 1851. In the 1950s ten council houses were built on a road called The Butts. The re-routing of the
A5 around Wall in 1965 relieved the village of traffic, re-establishing its quiet nature. ==Geography==