| Summary : The site of a Roman villa, its enclosure, and a stone built bath house. The bath house was excavated in 1909 and 1917, and appears to have been converted into a dwelling at some point in its history. Aerial photographs have confirmed the presence of a network of enclosures as well as additional buildings, the latter in particular visible in considerable detail. A ditched track or road circa 18 metres wide canbe seen approaching the site from the northwest, while a branch appears to head east away from the villa site. |
More information : (SP 30301113) Roman Villa (R) (site of) (NAT) (1)
Roman building of three periods; excavated by Engleheart and Rawlence in 1908 and by Dr Peake in 1917. No report was published, but Peake left a plan and some notes. The absence of a corridor and the presence of heating arrangements show that the original structure, including rooms 4 to 7 and 9 to 11 (see plan) was a bath-building with heated rooms 6 and 7. In the second period the baths were enlarged, other hot rooms (5 and 15) added, and a sunken bath made in room 6. A structure in room 9, dated prior to the final period, may have belonged to a staircase leading to an upper floor. In period III the building appears to have been converted into a dwelling house. Most of the baths were filled in, flues stopped up and floors raised, although one hypocaust was rebuilt at a higher level. A series of rooms (12 to 14, 16 and 17) was added on the east. The new floors were mainly of opus signinum and a good hard concrete, and the walls were decorated with coloured plaster. Both roofing tiles and slates were used. Finds from the site were not very numerous. Pottery, distinguished by the complete absence of Samian ware, dated from the 2nd to 4th centuries. Five coins were recorded, two of Gallienus, one of Carausius and two Constantinian, and there were practically no other metal objects. The period of occupation, whether as bath or house, was probably not more than 150 to 180 years. Another building is thought to exist near the easter fence of the adjoining field on the west, towards the top of the slope, a probable site for the house to which the baths belonged. (2)
Whatever its earlier status, this building in its later stage qualifies as a villa, and is best classified and published as such. (3)
The site now falls in a thicket. Where accessible, it can be seen that the excavation was left open, but the accretion of blown sand, leaf humus, and grassing over, now obscure most of the walling.
Published 1:2500 survey revised. Nothing was seen at the second site, which was under corn stubble. (4)
SP 303111: Roman villa, near Foxhole Bottom. Only a small part of the villa area was excavated. It was never backfilled and the structure has not been consolidated. Scheduled. (5)
SP 30301112: Probable Romano-British building, listed. (6)
OX 4 Listed as the site of a villa. (7)
Aerial photographs taken June 24th 2003 showed a network of enclosures, a road or trackway, and a number of buildings (not including the excavated structure) all visible as cropmarks. The cropmarks suggest that the excavated building is towards the eastern edge of the complex. The cropmarks cover an area of around 500 metres ne-sw by 350 metres nw-se. The enclosure complex comprises a series of rectangular or subrectangular ditch-defined enclosures. The inter-relationships of some of the ditches clearly indicate multi-phase development, while the alignment of the buildings is subtly different from that of most of the enclosures. A ditch-defined track or road some 18 metres wide approaches the nw corner of the complex from the nnw; one of its ditches turns due south, disappearing into the enclosure complex close to the stream that forms the southern border of the cropmark complex. The other ditch turns more than 90 degrees to run northeast, parallel to the outer ditch of the enclosure complex and continuing beyond for some distance before disappearing into a non-responsive crop. Further to the west, another linear ditch - a single one this time - approaches the western side of the complex from the nw. Between this and the road/track is a large amorphous blob which presumably represents some form of extraction. It need not be of any great date but it is contained between ditches that are presumably of Roman date. Faint traces of what might be earlier fields are visible as cropmarks to the north east. (9) |