Rockbourne Roman Villa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rockbourne Roman Villa |
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Rockbourne Roman Villa - East Bath Suite
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| General information | |
| Type | Roman villa |
| Location | Rockbourne |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 50°57′11″N 1°49′49″W / 50.9531°N 1.8304°W |
| Construction started | 1st century |
| Demolished | 5th century |
Rockbourne Roman Villa is a large Roman villa that has been dug up and opened to the public. It is located in the village of Rockbourne in Hampshire, England. A local farmer found the villa in 1942. A. T. Morley Hewitt then spent over thirty years digging it up.
The main part of the villa was a big house built around a courtyard. It had fancy mosaic floors and special Roman bath areas. There were also farm buildings and workshops because it was the center of a large farm. The villa started in the Iron Age and was used until the 5th century. Today, you can visit parts of the villa. There is also a museum on site with items found during the digs, showing the villa's long history.
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Discovering Rockbourne Roman Villa
Rockbourne Roman Villa is found at West Park, close to the village of Rockbourne in Hampshire. It is about 5 kilometers northwest of Fordingbridge. This villa was once the heart of a huge farm and is the biggest known villa in this area.
A farmer first found the villa in 1942 while digging for a ferret. He found lots of oyster shells and then a mosaic floor. Realizing these finds were important, A. T. Morley Hewitt bought the land. He then led excavations every summer from 1956 to 1978.
Early digs sometimes missed important details or didn't keep good records. This made it hard to understand the villa's timeline. Many animal bones and broken pottery pieces were also thrown away back then. Hampshire County Council bought the site in 1979. Later digs, led by I. P. Horsey from 1978 to 1982, helped us better understand how the villa changed over its 400 years of use.
The Rockbourne villa might have been part of a pair with another villa found at Downton, about 8 kilometers away. Rockbourne and Downton may have controlled large areas of farmland on either side of the River Avon. Digs about 1.5 kilometers southeast of Rockbourne, at Allen's Farm, show that pottery was made there in the late 3rd century. Being so close to Rockbourne villa suggests these pottery kilns might have been part of the villa's estate.
The Villa's Story Through Time
1st Century: Early Beginnings
The site first had a wooden roundhouse with a chalk floor. This was a common type of home in the Late Iron Age. In the 1st century, a small rectangular stone house replaced it. A work-hall was also built nearby, set apart at a right angle.
2nd Century: Growing Bigger
Around the year 150, the small house was taken down to build a larger one. The new house was a bigger "row-house" with an important middle room. It had smaller rooms to its north and south. This house lined up with the older work-hall but stayed separate. This was the start of the villa's west wing. Later in this century, a small bath suite was added to this west house. A unique part of this bath suite was its underfloor heating system, called a hypocaust. The stacks that held up the floor (called pilae) were made from curved roof tiles instead of bricks.
3rd Century: A Courtyard Villa Forms
More buildings were added during the 3rd century, creating a courtyard villa. Around the year 200, a new north wing was built and connected to the west wing. There might have been a small bath suite in the north wing. However, later in the century, a separate bath house was built next to the north wing. The best-preserved mosaic floors are in the north wing. All the mosaics have geometric patterns. They are not the fanciest, and none show pictures of people.
At some point, the south wing was built. This included a building with aisles and several work buildings. In 1967, a hidden collection of 7717 bronze coins was found buried in a pottery jar. This collection must have been buried around 295 AD. It might mean that the villa faced problems around that time, but we don't know why the coins were never dug up again.
4th Century: A Grand Estate
By the 4th century, the villa was a large courtyard estate. It was enclosed on at least three sides. In total, there were probably about 40 rooms being used. The house on the north wing was rebuilt in the 4th century. The bath house on the north wing was also changed and then seemed to stop being used. The bath suite in the west house was made bigger and updated.
Decline: The End of an Era
By the early 5th century, the villa quickly became less important. Some of the mosaics were broken, and simple hearths (fireplaces) were placed on the floors. Holes found from this time might mean people tried to prop up the roofs. More trouble might be shown by a collection of 16 late Roman gold coins, called solidi. These coins, from 394-5 AD, were found just 3 kilometers from the site in 1986. The only adult burials found at the villa itself are two from the time after the Romans left. One person seems to have died when the tiled roof fell in.
Visiting the Villa Today
The excavations that happened from 1956 to 1976 were open to visitors. Since then, Hampshire County Council has taken care of the site. They have filled in much of the area to protect it from damage. Many of the items found during the digs are on display at the museum on site. The rest are kept in Winchester. The finds include pottery from the New Forest and pieces of animal bone.
Two interesting finds are two damaged Roman milestones. These were found reused in the villa's walls. One is from the time of Trajan Decius (249-51 AD), and the other from Tetricus II (272 AD). Another major find was a rectangular table or sideboard carved from stone. It had special chip-carved designs on its front and sides.
In 2014, the Hampshire Cultural Trust took over ownership of the villa. This was part of a bigger change where museums moved from Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council.
