More information : (SU 3434 3616) Roman Villa. Excavated 1922. Roman coin of Tetricus Senior, 268-273, found by Mrs Keiller, June 1924. (1)
In a field to the west of the Test Valley, near Longstock the site of a Roman villa was discovered in Dec 1921. In preliminary digging, G H Engleheart and E A Rawlence uncovered a semi-circular hot water bath, jacketted with flue tiles, many in perfect condition, and an adjacent room on 'pilae'. One coin possibly of Constantine I was found. (2)
Roman villa excavated in 1922 by EA Rawlence and proved to consist of three groups of buildings. "The first building opened formed part of the baths; it consisted of 2 apsed rooms heated with a pillared hypocaust (made of brick) from a stoke hole. The latter had walls of flint and was domed with large square bricks, its floor consisting of beaten chalk. The 1st apse was filled with flue tiles and had a cement floor, much destroyed. The 2nd apse was even more damaged but it contained a hypocaust from the first room." Coloured wall plaster from both rooms was found. "From a little south-west of the 2nd apsed room a wall ran south-west and here also were several piles of flint, thought to be the bases of posts supporting a roof to shelter fuel. On the south-east there was a great deal of wood ash, bones and potsherds."
The main structure, 85 feet to the east, was a corridor building, some 70 ft long running NE-SW and well built of large, faced flint stones. The floors were cement, no trace of tesserae being found but there was red fresco in two rooms. 60 feet due north was a structure 45 feet long by 23 feet wide, containing two rooms with cement floors. It is on a different orientation to B. In the SE corner more than 70 coins were found. "South of the latter, a semi-circular flint platform, possibly a portico or apse, has been opened by the Vicar of Stockbridge since 1922. Part of a carved frieze of green sandstone, of similiar material to that used in corner stones of building B, was found."
Between the main structure and the bathhouse, three other walls were found in a single trench but a considerably lower level and too deep for excavation. To the NW a rubbish hole, or well, full of bones and flint pot boilers was opened but the bottom was not reached. "The smaller finds include part of a millstone with harping of 14 strings; a small quantity of Samian ware; some imitation Samian; much black ware of a later date; part of a rim of a vessel resembling that from Hambledon (3rd - 4thc flanged bowl); a small spearhead; an iron arrowhead and coins from Gallienus - Constantius II (253-361) (3)
SU34193617: Remains of villa & excavation trenches. (4)
Northern portion of large oval enclosure, which presumably extended around villa site, visible as crop mark. (5)
"Until about three years ago, the remains of the villa, as exposed by the excavations were open, but they have been filled in and a reservoir erected on the site (a). No trace of the enclosure is visible on the ground. (6)
SU 34193617: ROMAN VILLA (site of) (7)
HA 58 Site of a Roman villa. (8)
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