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IXWORTH ROMAN VILLA

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The foundations of a Roman building with hypocaust, suggested to represent a bath house and/or villa, were revealed by ploughing in 1834 and some excavation occurred in 1849. The building measured 33 feet by 20 feet internally, and featured a semi-circular apse at one end. The walls, 2 feet thick, comprised flint, pebbles and tile. Finds included painted wall plaster, red tesserae, flue tiles, and pottery (including a vase fragment featuring a human face). Excavations in 1948 in the same field uncovered a well and part of a bath building. Finds included pottery and coins, and are in Ipswich Museum. Some potsherds recovered from the site nay be of Saxon date. A dark soil mark representing the 1849 building is visible on air photographs. There is no trace of the 1948 building either on the ground or on air photographs.

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(TL 93936998) Roman Building (R) (Site of) (1)

(TL 93936998 approx.) The foundations of a Roman building with hypocaust, thought to represent the bath building of a villa or Roman station, were revealed by ploughing in 1834 and excavated in 1849. The building measured 33feet by 20feet internally with a semicircular apse at one end and 2feet thick walls of flint, pebbles and tile, the whole of the interior being occupied by pilae about 14 inches high. Finds included red tesserae, flue tiles, a piece of a vase ornamented with a human face and other pottery fragments. A well and part of a bath building were excavated by B Brown in 1948 at the other end of the same field. Finds, including Samian ware, Castor ware and Constantinian coins, are in Ipswich Museum. (2-3)

There is no trace on the ground of the published building, but its site is visible as a dark soil mark on OS air photographs. Brown's building is sited on a sketch plan at TL 94076997 approximately. There are no traces of it on the ground or on air photographs. (4)

Part of the site is currently scheduled and includes the building excavated by Brown and the 19th century discovery. The recorded remains of the later settlement to the east and west are not included in the schedule. Further evaluation should be carried out before the schedule in revised. (6)

SOURCE TEXT

(1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1958

(2) Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History

Warren, J 1, 1849-53 Page(s)77-85

(3) Society for Promotion of Roman Studies The journal of Roman studies

39, 1949 Page(s)105

(4a) Externally held archive reference

B Brown's field notes and plans (Ipswich Museum)

(4) Field Investigators Comments

F1 NKB 22-OCT-71

(5) by Eleanor Scott 1993 A gazetteer of Roman villas in Britain

Leicester archaeology monographsNo.1 (1993) - Site number SU 14. no.1 Page(s)174

(6) English Heritage Alternative Action Report

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