Chedworth Roman Villa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chedworth Roman Villa |
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| Type | Roman villa |
| Location | Chedworth Woods |
| OS grid reference | SP 05297 13465 |
| Area | Gloucestershire |
| Built | c. 120 CE |
| Architectural style(s) | Roman |
| Owner | National Trust |
| Official name: Chedworth Roman villa | |
| Designated | 5 January 1927 |
| Reference no. | 1003324 |
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Chedworth Roman Villa is a huge and fancy Roman country house. It is found near Chedworth, Gloucestershire, England. This villa is one of the biggest and most detailed Roman villas ever found in Britain. It was even used after the Romans left!
The villa was built in different stages from the early 100s AD to the 400s AD. By the 400s, it had become a very grand home. It was built around three sides of a courtyard. This fancy building had a heated dining room (called a triclinium) with a beautiful mosaic floor. It also had two separate bathing areas, one for steamy baths and one for dry, hot baths.
People found the villa in 1863. Soon after, they dug it up and opened it for visitors. The National Trust bought it in 1924. They have worked hard to protect it. They also built new visitor centers and covers to protect the old buildings.
Experts still discuss if Chedworth was a working farm villa or a religious place. Most now believe it was a farm villa. It was likely owned by a very rich Romano-Briton. Today, it is a protected historical site.
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Where is Chedworth Roman Villa?
The villa sits in a calm, shady spot. It looks over the River Coln in the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire. It was close to a Roman road called the Fosse Way. It was also about 8 miles north of a big Roman town, Corinium Dobunnorum (today called Cirencester).
Cirencester was an important Roman city. This helped the area become very Romanized and wealthy. Chedworth's spot in the Cotswolds and the River Coln valley was great for farming. It was one of about 50 villas in the Cotswolds. Nine of these villas were within just 5 miles of Chedworth.
The villa was built right next to a natural spring. This spring was the main water source for the villa. Later, a special shrine was built around it. This shrine was for the water-nymphs (called a nymphaeum).
History of the Villa
The first buildings at Chedworth were likely built around 120 AD. This was when retired Roman soldiers settled in the area. The Romans gave land to soldiers after their service. Many Roman villas were found near Chedworth for this reason.
The villa grew and changed many times. Archaeologists have found at least six building periods. Each time, the buildings got bigger or better. At first, the buildings were simple and practical. They did not look as grand as they did later.
Changes Over Time
In the early 200s AD, the west and south parts of the villa were rebuilt after a fire. The north bath area also got bigger. More rooms were added to its east side.
In the early 300s AD, the villa became a very fancy home. The different parts of the villa were connected by a covered walkway (a portico). This created an inner garden and an outer courtyard. The dining room (triclinium) got its beautiful mosaic floors. The northern part of the west wing was changed into a second set of baths.
Soon after, the baths in the north wing were rebuilt. They became dry-heat baths (called laconicum). This meant the villa had both steamy and dry-heat bathing areas. At least 15 rooms had mosaic floors. In the late 300s AD, a new dining room was added to the north wing. Many rooms, especially the dining rooms, were heated by a special system called a hypocaust.
Life After Roman Rule
Chedworth is special because some parts of the villa were built in the 400s AD. This was after the end of Roman rule in Britain in 410 AD. In 2017, experts found that a mosaic and walls in Room 28 were added after 424 AD.
This discovery is very important! It shows that Roman ways of life continued in Britain for much longer than people thought. Building new rooms with mosaics means that people were still rich enough to do so. It also means mosaic workshops were still working at least 50 years later than expected.
Later, a workshop was set up on top of the mosaic floor. Two fireplaces were built into the worn floor. These fireplaces were made from pieces of the villa's old architecture. Other mosaics in nearby rooms also look like they were made in the 400s.
More than half of the Roman coins found at the villa are from 564-585 AD. This shows that people lived there for a long time after the Romans left.
The Nymphaeum (Water Shrine)
The pool in the north-west corner of the villa started as a natural spring. This spring was probably why the villa was built in this spot. The spring became a shrine to the water-nymphs (a nymphaeum). The curved back wall is still standing and is 2 meters high. It is the original Roman wall.
This spring provided all the water the villa needed. An eight-sided pool is in the center and is still fed by the spring. A Christian symbol, the chi-rho monogram, was found scratched on the edge of the pool. This symbol was used for a short time in the early 300s, but then the original water nymphs were honored again.
Temples Near the Villa
Archaeologists have found the remains of a Roman-British temple about 800 meters south-east of the villa. It was a rectangular building, about 16.5 by 16.0 meters. Altars found in the villa museum likely came from this temple. Coins, glass pieces, and a carved stone niche were also found there.
Another Roman building was in Chedworth Woods, about 150 meters north-west of the villa. It was destroyed when a railway was built around 1869. Finds from this site included coins, hexagonal tiles, parts of pillars, and glass pieces. A stone carving of a "hunter god" with a hare, dog, and stag might have come from this site.
Another carved figure was found with a broken inscription. Experts believe it might mention the healing god Mars Lenus. This god was worshipped by the Treveri tribe in Gaul.
How Chedworth Villa Was Found
The villa was found by accident in 1864. Thomas Margetts, a gamekeeper, was digging for a ferret. He found pieces of paving and pottery. The site was then dug up from 1865-1867 by James Farrer. He was an expert in old things and a Member of Parliament.
The owner of the land, the Earl of Eldon, paid for the digging. He also paid for roofs to protect the mosaics and a building to store the artifacts. Sadly, not much was written down about the early digs. Only the four best mosaics were left uncovered under shelters. The rest were buried again to protect them.
In 1924, the National Trust bought the villa. Since then, more digging has happened from time to time.
From 1957 to 1965, Professor Ian Richmond dug at Chedworth. He found new information but passed away before sharing his results. Some parts of the villa were buried again.
In 2011, a new building was put over the mosaics in the west wing. This helps keep them safe.
In 2012, a special survey of the field east of the villa was done. It showed a main road leading up from the valley. It also found two other buildings, including a round stone building.
A new digging project started in 2013 in the north wing. It has found mosaics that were not known before. Some of these were partly damaged by Ian Richmond in 1964.
Geometric Patterns in Mosaics
The mosaic floors in several rooms have common geometric patterns. These are called meander patterns. You can see them in other Roman villas across England. The dining room floor has one of the most detailed geometric designs in the villa. Even though it is in good shape, large parts of it are missing. However, a simple math rule has been found. It can help rebuild the missing parts of the mosaic from what is still there.
New Buildings for Protection
Over time, people realized that the old ways of protecting the site were not good enough. The first shelters were not protecting the villa well. The National Trust hired Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios to design a new building. This building would protect the villa and also be a learning center. The visitor reception building was also updated.
This project cost £2.2 million and was finished in March 2012.
Images for kids
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West Bath mosaic
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Triclinium mosaic
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Hypocaust room 32
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West wing corridor mosaic
