North Leigh Roman Villa
Encyclopedia
North Leigh Roman Villa was a Roman
courtyard villa
in the Evenlode Valley
about 0.5 miles (804.7 m) north of the hamlet of East End in North Leigh
civil parish in Oxfordshire
. It is in the care of English Heritage
and is open to the public.
excavated the ruins in 1813–16. Professor Francis Haverfield
conducted further excavations in 1910. Aerial archaeology
in 1943 photographed the previously unknown plan of the southwest wing. Excavations for the Ministry of Public Building and Works in 1958 revealed several phases of occupation and development, starting with Iron Age
posthole
s indicating that the first buildings on the site were wooden. The ruins were further excavated in the 1970s.
. A few of the rooms have the remains of tesselated floors, notable among which is a 3rd century mosaic
in what is believed to have been the dining room. This floor is now protected by a purpose built shed.
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
courtyard villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
in the Evenlode Valley
River Evenlode
The River Evenlode is a river in England which is a tributary of the Thames in Oxfordshire. It rises near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire in the Cotswold Hills and flows south-east passing near Stow-on-the-Wold, Charlbury, Bladon, and Cassington, and its valley provides the route of the southern...
about 0.5 miles (804.7 m) north of the hamlet of East End in North Leigh
North Leigh
North Leigh is a village and civil parish about northeast of Witney in Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of East End, and since 1932 has also included the hamlet of Wilcote.-Early history:...
civil parish in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. It is in the care of English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
and is open to the public.
Excavations
The architect Henry HakewillHenry Hakewill
Henry Hakewill was an English architect.He designed two distinguished Greek Revival buildings:*Coed Coch, Denbighshire, Wales , a country-house with a diagonally placed portico and stair...
excavated the ruins in 1813–16. Professor Francis Haverfield
Francis J. Haverfield
Francis John Haverfield was a British historian and archaeologist.Educated at the University of Oxford, he also worked under Theodor Mommsen...
conducted further excavations in 1910. Aerial archaeology
Aerial archaeology
Aerial archaeology is the study of archaeological remains by examining them from altitude.The advantages of gaining a good aerial view of the ground had been long appreciated by archaeologists as a high viewpoint permits a better appreciation of fine details and their relationships within the wider...
in 1943 photographed the previously unknown plan of the southwest wing. Excavations for the Ministry of Public Building and Works in 1958 revealed several phases of occupation and development, starting with Iron Age
British Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
posthole
Posthole
In archaeology a posthole is a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone. They are usually much deeper than they are wide although truncation may not make this apparent....
s indicating that the first buildings on the site were wooden. The ruins were further excavated in the 1970s.
History
The villa was built in the 1st century, altered and enlarged several times, reached its greatest wealth and extent in the first half of the 4th century and was abandoned early in the 5th century. In its 4th century form the villa had 60 rooms, including a Roman bathhouseThermae
In ancient Rome, thermae and balnea were facilities for bathing...
. A few of the rooms have the remains of tesselated floors, notable among which is a 3rd century mosaic
Roman mosaic
A Roman mosaic is any mosaic, made in Ancient Rome or by Roman artists outside of Roman frontiers. The Romans introduced exquisite mosaics in their domestic architecture and in the places of worship. The earliest examples of Roman floor mosaics are dated to the late Republican period and are...
in what is believed to have been the dining room. This floor is now protected by a purpose built shed.
External links
- North Leigh Roman Villa, English Heritage
- North Leigh Roman Villa, at Pastscape