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ASHTEAD ROMAN VILLA

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The remains of Ashtead Roman Villa are located on Ashtead Common in Leatherhead, Surrey, and forms part of a complex which included a bath house, tile works and several clay pits. Its main period of occupation was in AD 117-38, however some buildings were first erected on the site circa AD 67-79. In around AD 150 the buildings were dismantled and in AD 180 the villa was partly rebuilt. The site was abandoned by about AD 200.

Its plan was that of a corridor villa and was considered an unusual example of its type as it had two rows of six rooms behind the corridor rather than the more common single row. Archaeological excavations in 2007, however, revealed that its highly likely the villa did originally consist of a single line of rooms.

The site was first excavated by A.W.G. Lowther who discovered the villa site in 1924. Further excavations were carried out in the 1960s by J.N. Hampton who located the clay pits and some of the kilns. In 2006 a five-year partnership project commenced to discover more information about the villa site. The project is being undertaken by the City of London, Surrey Archaeological Society and English Heritage.

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[TQ 17756017] ROMAN VILLA [GS] (Site of) Roman Pottery & Coins found A.D.1924 [TI]
[TQ 17786012] ROMAN BATH HOUSE [GS] (Site of) (1)

A complex of Roman buildings, associated with an adjacent tile-manufactory [See TQ 16 SE 12], and approached by a branch road from Stane Street was excavated from 1924-9 under the direction of a local committee and the results published in three papers by A.W.G. Lowther (a) (b) and (c). The site occupied one of the highest points on Ashtead Common and is surrounded by marshy ground, with a small stream, the Rye, flowing at the foot of the southern slope. Mounds of flint 'pot-boilers' and coarse pot-sherds found on this southern slope were identified in an early paper as evidence of BA occupation but later they appeaar to have been re-assessed as 'Pre-Roman'. The sub-soil is a thick clay or brick-earth. The buildings comprised a villa of corridor type with a separate bath-house, both reconstructed in several phases of occupation. The bath-house "resembles many of the ordinary camp bath houses" in plan, and was probably used by the men of the adjacent tile-works. The villa had its own bath appendage - probably of similar date to the separate baths. There was considerable Claudian occupation of the site prior to the erection of the known buildings - evidenced by sherds and a coin. The first buildings were erected c.AD 67-79, but the main period of activity and occupation was c.AD 117-38. The buildings were dismantled c.AD.150 but the villa was partly rebuilt in 180. By c.AD 200 at the latest the site had ceased to be occupied. Scheduled. (2-5)

From 1964 and continuing, Mr J.N. Hampton has been conducting an excavation on the site of the tilery. He also located a short section of precinct wall to the NE of the villa. Two other buildings foundations have been noted to the SW and SE and are to be excavated in 1966. The findings are to be published in Sy. A.C. There is now no trace of the Bath House. Foundations surveyed on to 1/2500. (6-7)

Lists of objects of religious or ritual significance. (8)

Details of roller-stamped tiles from villa. (9)

Additional reference to pottery in gazetteer. (10)

Three pellets of Egyptian Blue (Blue Frit) have been found amongst the wall plaster from Lowthers excavations, each is c15mm in diameter. They probably represent a stock intended for use as a paint pigment at the villa. (11)

Gold pendant earring found near the site of the villa. (12)

SY 3 Listed as the site of a Roman villa. (13)

According to Smith, Ashtead villa has several unusual characteristics for a villa of its type. These include having narrower rooms at the front of the villa, an absence of terminal pavilions, and, a plan where groups of rooms ignore the spine wall. There is also what is thought to be a reception room leading in to a dining room which are said to be of unusual proportions. (14)

The plan of Ashtead Roman Villa was that of a corridor villa. It is an unusual example of this type, however, as there were two rows of six rooms behind the corridor rather than the more common single row. The villa was part of a complex which included a bath house, tile works and several clay pits. Located 50 metres to the south of the villa is the bath house which is thought to have been used by those working at the nearby kilns.

The site was first excavated by A.W.G. Lowther who discovered the villa site in 1924. In the 1960s further excavation work was carried out by J.N. Hampton who located the clay pits and some of the kilns where various bricks and tiles were produced.

In 2006 a five-year project began to discover more information about the villa site. The project is being carried out through the partnership of the City of London, Surrey Archaeological Society and English Heritage. The first task of the project consisted of a study of the spoil heaps left from the 1920s excavations and the approach road. Many remains and fragments of a stone road across the common were discovered.

The following year, in 2007, the Roman Studies Group from the Surrey Archaeological Society carried out excavations to determine the phasing of the walls. Their results showed that its likely the villa originally consisted of a single line of rooms, like many others. They also discovered evidence of an earlier building beneath the corridor and as well as various finds including high quality pottery, some painted wall plaster and a board made of tile.

This website also contains a plan of the villa. (15)

This website contains a detailed explanation of the 2008 excavations. (16)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1932-8

( 2) Surrey Archaeological Society Surrey archaeological collections : relating to the history and antiquities of the County

1927 (A.W.G. Lowther) 37 Page(s)144

( 3) Surrey Archaeological Society Surrey archaeological collections : relating to the history and antiquities of the County

1929 (A.W.G. Lowther) 38 Page(s)1

( 4) Surrey Archaeological Society Surrey archaeological collections : relating to the history and antiquities of the County

1929 38 Page(s)132

( 5) Ministry of Works 1961 Ancient monuments in England and Wales : list prepared by the Ministry of Works, corrected to 31st December 1960

Page(s)86

(6) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

(7) Field Investigators Comments

F1 FGA 04-MAR-66

(8) by Miranda Green 1976 A corpus of religious material from the civilian areas of Roman Britain

BAR British series1 (1974) - 24 Page(s)220

(9) edited by Malcolm Todd 1978 Studies in the Romano-British villa

Page(s)26

(10) edited by Paul Arthur and Geoff Marsh 1978 Early fine wares in Roman Britain

BAR British series1 (1974) - 57 Page(s)84

(11) Surrey Archaeological Society Surrey archaeological collections : relating to the history and antiquities of the County

1984 (J L Gower) 75 Page(s)303-4

(12) Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies Britannia : a journal of Romano-British and kindred studies

1986 (H E M Cool) 17 Page(s)231, 235

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

Leicester archaeology monographsNo.1 (1993) - no.1 Page(s)175

(14) J.T. Smith 1997 Roman Villas: A Study in Social Structure

Page(s)111-112

(15) World Wide Web page

City of London. Cultural Heritage, http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Environment_and_planning/Parks_and_open_spaces/Ashtead_Common/Ashtead+Common+cultural+heritage.htm [accessed 06-AUG-2009]

(16) World Wide Web page

Surrey Archaeological Society. 2008. The Ashtead Villa and Tileworks Project - 2009 Excavations, http://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/node/170 [accessed 06-AUG-2009]

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