More information : (SO 45808977) Roman Villa (R) (site of) (NAT) (1)
The Roman Villa at Acton Scott was first discovered in 1817 during roadworks and excavated by Mrs. F. Stackhouse Acton in 1844. Discrepancies exist between plans published by VCH, Archaeologia and a manuscript in the Bodleian, Oxford, but the building probably originated as an aisled barn which was later partly converted into a dwelling house. The heated rooms in the south-west are probably the remains of a bathhouse, presumably robbed and subjected to drastic alterations. The angled extension also in the southwest remains an anomaly. Decorative and bordered wall plaster and a sandstone pillar suggests a house in the vicinity with a colonnaded verandah which may have been demolished when the barn was converted. Other finds include roof and flue tiles, iron clamps, key, horseshoe and spur, pottery, sherds, bone and oyster shells. Five Greek coins ranging from 700 to 300 BC and one of Mark Antony, have nothing to do with the villa, and are possibly an 18th century loss. The wall plaster went to Shrewsbury Museum. Other earthworks (4) in the park clearly indicate further buildings. (2-4)
The OS published siting lies within a field under permanent pasture. There are no visible remains of the villa. (5)
Scheduled: Salop No. 314. (6)
Brief description with plan. (7-8)
SO 458 897. Roman villa 200yds (180m) N of Acton Scott Hall. Scheduled. (9)
SH 1 Site of a Roman villa; cropmark of an enclosure. (10)
The cropmark of an asymmetrical sub-rectangular enclosure described by the previous authority was seen centred at SO 4580 8984 and mapped from aerial photographs. The enclosure is incomplete (the north-western corner not visible in the next field), defined by a single ditch and has a possible entrance in its southern side. (11) |