Summary : The remains of a Roman villa at Eling Farm, discovered in 1863 following the ploughing of a recently cleared copse. Excavations seem to have occurred on several occasions in the later 19th century. Finds include a hypocaust, part of a tessellated pavement, plus quantities of pottery, animal bones, floor tiles and roof tiles. A second site was discovered circa 150 yards away, although some sources suggest that this site may have been known since at least 1839. Buildings and parts of ditched enclosures, visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs, are almost certainly the remains of part of the villa complex. The cropmarks appear to represent the foundations of buildings arranged on three sides of a possible courtyard and three further possible buildings are visible to the east and south of this. A number of ditched boundaries appear to form parts of enclosures but there relationship to the buildings is unclear and they may be earlier or later features. |
More information : ['A' : SU 53257521] ROMAN VILLA [GS] (Remains of) ROMAN VILLA [GS] (Site of) ROMAN VILLA [GS] (site of) ['B' : SU 53407498] ROMAN VILLA [GS] (Site of) [Note - the siting of 'B' is not published on OS 6"s, 1882 or 1960]. (1-4) The remains of a Roman villa, discovered at Eling Farm, were reported in April, 1863, (5). The villa had been noticed in plouging the site of a recently-cleared copse. A part of a tesselated pavement, a hypocaust, many potsherds, bones and floor and roof tiles were found. S. Palmer hoped to excavate the site after the harvest. [No references to the contemplated excavation by Palmer were found in later volumes of J.B.A.A.] In 1880, W. Money (6) refers to the villa in terms that clearly show that part had been excavated and left open [confirmed by the OS 6", 1882, published description] and he goes on to state that, c. 150 yards away, there had been found another Roman building, of less substantial character, were postsherds, iron objects and a coin of Constantine had been found. In the ONB (7) Money describes the northern site ['A'] as found in 1870 and the southern site ['B'] as found in 1879. [These dates possibly indicate the re-excavation of both sites, not the initial discovery.] both sites appear to have been known, even earlier than 1863, for an account of 1839 (8) refers to supposed Roman foundations, found in sinking a chalk-pit, in a field called Green Ditch, at Everington, [Presumably 'B' sited in a quarry and near Everington Barn] and to Roman tiles and coins found in a wood nearby. [Presumably 'A', reported in 1863, to have been in a copse] Peake refers to the northern site as a villa, and to the southern site, 100 or 150 yards away as a small building or villa. A Durobrivian pot, a glass bottle and four bronze figures from the site were in Reading Museum (9). Money (6) says the portion remaining of the villa occupied an area of about 70 feet by 45 feet, and that a considerable part of the border of the mosaic pavement survived, with a pattern of twisted guilloche and an outer edging of plain red cubes. (5-9) Villa, evidently of corridor type. (10) both sites are under pasture. At 'A' there is a scatter of surface brick etc. but nothing was found to confirm the site of `B'. The farmer and ploughman were aware of site `A' only. (11)
SU532752 Eling Roman Villa. Scheduled (13). (12-13)
Additional reference. (14)
Buildings and parts of ditched enclosures, visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs, are almost certainly the remains of part of the villa described by the previous authorities. The cropmarks appear to represent the foundations of buildings arranged on three sides of a possible courtyard and three further possible buildings are visible to the east and south of this. A number of ditched boundaries appear to form parts of enclosures but there relationship to the buildings is unclear and they may be earlier or later features. (15-16)
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