More information : SE 6623 7569. Roman Villa (R) (Site of) (NAT). (1)
Roman villa discovered in the grounds of Hovingham Hall in 1745,
described by Drake, with drawings by Mitley and engravings (copy
in the Hospitium, Yorks Museum) by Vertue in 1747. The site is
now levelled and covered but the drawings show a range of three
or four small rooms making up the remains of the hot baths some
53 ft long, with the portion that Drake calls the 'Fireplace' being
very broken and indefinite. Parallel to this portion were the double
flues leading into a small apse circa 7ft radius which in turn
leads into the side of the main range. Adjoining the apse but not
connecting with it was another room, much fragmented, with cross
walls that appear to be a reconstruction. The main range
excluding the apse was circa 15 ft wide and all the rooms had
hypocaust pillars. The remaining building the 'bath' as described
by Drake was reached across 12 ft of 'rubble' (courtyard?) and was
carefully lined with cement (plungebath/latrine?), also 13 ft of
its drain was found. 221 ft west of the bath a tesselated pavement
15 ft 10 ins by 8 ft within walls 18 ins thick was discovered.
Roman coins have been found near the bath and in the surrounding
fields, some of these (2nd to 4th century) together wih a
Corinthian Drachma (338-300 BC), a Northumbrian Styca and a
fragment of the tesselated pavement are in Hovingham Hall. (2-3)
No trace in an area of pastureland is now visible. (4)
The site was covered after the construction of the canal, lake and
gardens and then levelled and planted. The mosaic had two panels.
One contained a greek key pattern and the other an interlace or
plait. The borders were plain and decorated with a van dyked
pattern. The finds are at Hovingham Hall. (5-5j)
The villa described by previous authorities was not visible on
available air photographs. (6)
Additonal reference. (7) |