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Notes on Roman Villas in Britain: New Discoveries Since 1993

These are my notes on (a) newly discovered villas, alphabetically by county, discovered since publication of my Gazetteer of Roman Villas in Britain in 1993; and (b) key new discoveries at known Roman villas, or new published research. Please feel free to contact me with examples, corrections and links.

Please also see the ADS (Archaeology Data Service): The Rural Settlement of Roman Britain: an online resource; although, as with all archaeological resources, it is not fully comprehensive.

For more information about sites in a particular area, please consult the relevant county HER (Historic Environment Records) for England and Wales.

BERKSHIRE

Villa nr Boxford, Lambourn Valley, Berks.

ROMAN VILLA COMPLEX WITH MOSAICS, excavated by archaeologists from Cotswold Archaeology with local community groups and volunteers. They explored the function, status, chronology, extent and relationship of three Roman sites, which represented a significant focus of high-status Roman occupation in the Lambourn Valley. During the first year of the project such investigations uncovered a large villa and bath house, with a farmstead following in the second year.

https://cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk/stunning-mosaic-found-in-roman-villa-near-boxford/

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

Olney, Warrington Road (Aldi Site), Bucks. ROMAN MOSAIC - POSSIBLE NEW VILLA - DISCOVERED DURING EXCAVATION IN ADVANCE OF DEVELOPMENT.

BBC News repoted on 17th March 2023: ‘Archaeologists have uncovered what they believe are the remains of a Roman villa and bath house under land earmarked for a supermarket. The discovery, which features mosaic brickwork, was made in Warrington Road in Olney, Buckinghamshire. The site is being prepared for the construction of a new Aldi supermarket. Oxford Archaeology, who carried out the work for developer Angle Property, deemed the mosaic "archaeological remains of high significance". The dig was commissioned due to the site's proximity to the existing Roman Site at Olney. Archaeologists said the mosaic featured "vibrant colours and intricate decorative patterns" made up of red, white and blue tiles.’

See more at BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-64918113

Also there’s a nice report here: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/remains-of-centuries-old-roman-villa-and-bath-house-found-under-uk-supermarket-site

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet, Cambs.

POSSIBLE NEW VILLA IDENTIFIED VIA GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY. Archaeological fieldwork including extensive area excavation and geophysical survey took place here in advance of road development by National Highways. This was carried out by MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology). Outlines of rectilinear stone building discovered in an area of widespread Roman period activity. This is mentioned by MOLA in one of its public-facing teaching videos, available to watch on You Tube. (See this video at 26 mins ff.)

Eddington, Cambs. The remains of a Roman villa were excavated in 2018 near Eddington, the new district developed by the University of Cambridge. The villa was uncovered by the University’s Cambridge Archaeological Unit in a field next to the Madingley Road Park & Ride and was opened to the public at Open Eddington during September 2018. The excavation team had already suspected the existence of a Roman building when they found Roman building materials, including roof tiles, bricks and window glass, during a previous dig. The subsequent excavation - in an area the size of four football pitches - revealed a rectangular Roman enclosure containing the outline of a ‘winged-type’ villa, along with a large aisled hall and other buildings. Futher details are available in the links below.

https://eddington-cambridge.co.uk/news-and-updates/remains-of-roman-villa-discovered-near-eddington

https://eddington-cambridge.co.uk/news-and-updates/cambridge-independent-visit-the-remains-of-a-roman-villa-at-eddington-as-part-of-open-cambridge

Great Staughton, Cambs. The Roman villa at Rushey Farm, Great Staughton is mentioned in reports of the discovery of a Roman town that it overlooks, giving an interesting insight into villa-town relationships in the region. (This villa is listed as CA90 in my original Gazetteer.)

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1006866

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/sep/18/remains-of-roman-town-cambridgeshire-heritage-protection-solar-farm-great-staughton

DORSET

Hinton St Mary, Dorset. Between June 2021 – March 2025, new archaeological fieldwork investigated the nature of the building that housed the mosaic at Hinton St Mary, Dorset, UK, which shows what could be one of the earliest representations of Jesus Christ. This was originally found in 1963 and the site interpreted as a villa. It also examined other buildings and structures in the immediate vicinity, dating from the late 3rd to the early 5th centuries AD. 

‘When first discovered, subsequent excavations suggested that the mosaic was part of a Roman villa, but new fieldwork has challenged that interpretation. Through geophysical survey and archaeological excavation, the project has gained a better understanding of the settlement and the role that Hinton St Mary played in the lives of the people of late Roman Britain.

‘There is a Chi Rho symbol behind the head in the central roundel of the mosaic. It may be a reference to early Christianity, but it could also be a Roman representation of Victory used by emperors in the 4th century AD. Another scene depicts Greek classical mythology, showing Bellerophon slaying the monster Chimaera. This might symbolise the Christian triumph of good over evil, or simply reflect knowledge of Classical mythology. 

‘Engaging with current scholarly debate on the mosaic's symbols, and using archaeological excavation and geophysical survey, this fieldwork programme gathered evidence to better understand the reasons for substantial investment in this rural part of Roman Britain.

‘This project set out to provide a better context for the famous mosaic from Hinton St Mary. Since the mosaic was uncovered in 1963, it was believed that it decorated the floor in a room at the centre of a large 'villa' building. The villa was thought to consist of a main 'range' and two wings enclosing a courtyard that sloped down towards the river Stour. However, this three-year fieldwork project – a collaboration between the British Museum, Vianova Archaeology and Heritage Services and Albion Archaeology – has shown that this interpretation is incorrect.

‘The new interpretation of the site shows that the mosaic was placed in a room at the end of an existing north-west/south-east orientated building not connected to any other known buildings on the site. A boundary wall separated the mosaic building from at least three further buildings in the yard to the south west. The project team is currently writing up the excavation finds and preparing a site report, a digital archive, and a detailed article for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.’

Acknowledgements: British Museum, Vianova Archaeology & Heritage Services, and Albion Archaeology.

Source: British Museum website.

ESSEX

Stebbing Green Essex. Roman malthouse excavated at villa site and published.

Source: Bedwin, O & Bedwin, M, 1999. A Roman malt house: excavations at Stebbing Green, Essex 1988 East Anglian Archaeology Occasional Paper 6 East Anglian Archaeology; see also Archaeology Data Service database ID 1072.

Wormingford, Essex. St Andrew’s Church. Above is a recent photograph of the church wall that incorporates Roman tiles, possibly/potentially from a nearby Roman villa site.

Source: Matt Edwards 2026 on X; link in photo caption.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Badminton, Glos. NEW VILLA DISCOVERED at Badminton. This villa is included in Holbrook’s (2006) excellent discussion of the Cotswold villas.

Source: Holbrook, N. 2006, ‘The Roman Period’ in Holbrook, N & Jurica J (eds) Twenty-Five Years of Archaeology in Gloucestershire. A Review of New Discoveries and New Thinking in Gloucestershire and Bristol 1979-2004. Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Report 3, 103-108, and figs 4-5.

Chedworth Roman Villa, Glos. NEW DATING EVIDENCE - POSSIBLE 5TH CENTURY MOSAIC. Reports emerged in late 2020 that a fifth century AD mosaic had been re-examined by National Trust archaeologists, a potentially unprecedented discovery in the archaeology of Romano-British villas.

ttps://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/dec/10/stunning-dark-ages-mosaic-found-at-roman-villa-in-cotswolds

Hucclecote, Glos. NEW EXCAVATIONS. Between April 2014 and November 2016, Wessex Archaeology carried out a 1.3 ha open-area excavation and watching brief prior to and during the construction of Mayfield Place, Churchdown Lane, Gloucester … The archaeological work was undertaken due to the presence of known Romano-British remains associated with Hucclecote Roman villa (Scheduled Monument GC 188). The results of this archaeological fieldwork were published in 2018 by Cai Mason et al: ‘The Landscape of Hucclecote Roman Villa: Excavations at Mayfield Place, Churchdown Lane, Gloucester, 2014−16’, Trans. Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society 136 (2018), 117–160. This publication contains an extremely useful summary of all previous work undertaken at the site and its environs, including that undertaken after the closure of the Hucclecote Centre in 2011.

Stanley Meadow, Lower Woods, South Gloucestershire, Glos. Charred wheat from corn drier discussed as indicative of malting and beer-making, Pelling, R.E. 2013. ‘Stanley Meadow, Lower Woods, South Gloucestershire: Charred plant remains from a corn-drier’. English Heritage Res. Rep. Series no. 30-2013.

Also discussed briefly in a sub-regional context in Cai Mason et al 2018: ‘The Landscape of Hucclecote Roman Villa: Excavations at Mayfield Place, Churchdown Lane, Gloucester, 2014−16’, Trans. Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society 136 (2018), 152: ‘The cereal remains from a corn drier on the Roman villa site at Stanley Meadow, Lower Woods, South Gloucestershire, were also dominated by those of spelt wheat, with smaller quantities of those emmer wheat and barley’. See also Mason (2018, 155): ‘The predominance of spelt wheat within these assemblages has been seen at other villa sites in the area, such as at Stanley Meadow (Pelling 2013) and Great Witcombe (AML 1998).’

Turkdean, Glos. NEW VILLA DISCOVERED.

One day I’ll tell the story of being behind the scenes at at the Time Team Turkdean weekend, and the production team’s ridiculous obsession with finding a Roman mosaic (I thwarted their frankly unethical plan). For now, here’s the ethical side of things, i.e. the subsequent publications. These are of very good quality because fortunately Neil Holbrook became involved.

First, Turkdean villa is included in Holbrook’s (2006) excellent discussion of the Cotswold villas. Figure 3 shows ‘Turkdean villa: composite plan of parchmarks and geophysical survey results for the main courtyard house’.

Source: Holbrook, N. 2006, ‘The Roman Period’ in Holbrook, N & Jurica J (eds) Twenty-Five Years of Archaeology in Gloucestershire. A Review of New Discoveries and New Thinking in Gloucestershire and Bristol 1979-2004. Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Report 3, 103-108, and fig 3.

There’s also Holbrook’s paper in Britannia (2004), ‘Turkdean Roman Villa, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Investigations 1997–1998’.

Willersey, Glos. IRON AGE SETTLEMENT AND ‘ROMAN VILLA’ UNEARTHED. Following a rare find of two swords, an excavation near Willersey has found what appear to be the remains of an IA settlement and Roman villa. Credits to Cotswold Archaeology and Historic England. Reported in the mainstream media including the Guardian and BBC in July 2025.

https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/iron-age-roman-settlement-willersey/

HAMPSHIRE

Liss, Hants. Roman villa (which appears to have or be focused on an aisled farmhouse) has been confirmed, excavated and published. Following a series of finds and field observations over the years, the Liss Archaeology Group (LAG) was formed in 2003 to take forward the investigation of the site. Funding was obtained from the Heritage Lottery Fund and others for a three-year programme of excavation. The publication includes professional contributions from eg Kayt (Marter Brown) Hawkins.

Report abstract: ‘Following re-alignment of the A3 Trunk road, Roman pottery and tile were found in a field at Liss. A field-walk survey confirmed Roman activity and excavations between 2001 and 2010 revealed a late 3rd–4thcentury AD Roman villa. The villa appears to have grown in three main phases from a single aisled building to at least two groups of buildings, with attached bathhouses, around a central courtyard. There was also limited evidence for earlier Roman and Iron Age occupation, but no contemporary features apart from a few post holes. The excavation was organised by the local archaeological group, with funding primarily from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It involved significant community participation, as well as professional direction of the archaeological project.’

Source: ‘The Roman Villa at Liss, Hampshire, Excavations 1992-2010’. Proc. Hampshire Field Club Archaeol. Soc. 71, 2016, 18–69 (Hampshire Studies 2016)

KENT

Abbey Farm, Minster-in-Thanet, Kent. Roman villa excavations published in 2011.

The Church of St Mary the Virgin in Minster-in-Thanet incorporates much Roman building material believed to come from the villa at Abbey Farm.

Source: D R J Perkins, D J Holman, K Parfitt, E Boast, G Moody and M Lyne, 2011. ‘The Roman Villa at Minster in Thanet’, Archaeologia Cantiana 124 , 25-49; ADS 9029; KentArchaeology.org.uk - notes on St Mary’s church.

LEICESTERSHIRE

Rutland Roman Villa, Stamford, Rutland, Leics. NEW VILLA - EXTENSIVE VILLA COMPLEX WITH MOSAICS AND WORKING FARM. Has featured on BBC2’s ‘Digging for Britain’. Being investigated collaboratively by Historic England and University of Leicester Archaeological Services. Substantial post-excavation work in progress. Finds include Roman mosaics.

It began in 2020, when crop marks were seen and excavation unearthed villa remains including a large mosaic. Surveys in 2021 showed a number of substantial structures across the complex, extending 13 ?acres. In the following two years, a better insight was gained into chronology and another mosaic was discovered. The villa phasing spreads over 300 years with the richest phase dating to the 4th century, and was a working farm as well as a high status home.

It also appears to have an ‘upgraded barn’ with bath-house and hypocaust - an aisled farmhouse? This dates to the earliest phase of the villa, undergoing repeated refurbishments over two centuries. The villa fell into disrepair.

There is a fire over the mosaic from the latest phase - the awesome Dr David Neal has painted it (the Hector and Achilles mosaic) - the Achilles figure was destroyed, alongside other areas.

LINCOLNSHIRE

Sudbrooke Roman Villa, West Lindsey, Lincs. Located at New Ten Acre Covert, and subject to recent survey investigations and excavation. Information held on the Lincs HER.

Washingborough, Lincoln Eastern Bypass. Possible villa remains unearthed in excavations.

Lee 2017, https://romanlincolnshire.wordpress.com/2017/01/19/villas-and-vineyards/

MONMOUTHSHIRE (GWENT)

Porthcasseg, Monmouthshire

Note 17 in Neil Holbrook’s chapter on the Roman period, page 125, reads, ‘A new villa, or just possibly a temple, was discovered in 1996 at Porthcasseg on the west bank of the Wye in Monmouthshire (Archaeol. in Wales 36 (1996), 77-8).’

Source: Holbrook, N. 2006, ‘The Roman Period’ in Holbrook, N & Jurica J (eds) Twenty-Five Years of Archaeology in Gloucestershire. A Review of New Discoveries and New Thinking in Gloucestershire and Bristol 1979-2004. Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Report 3, p125

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

Blackgrounds, Chipping Warden, Northants. This Roman villa site is is near the villages of Edgcote and Chipping Warden and was found and ‘excavated’ in the 1830s, but proximity to the destructive route of HS2 has led to renewed interest and excavation of the multi-period landscape in the vicinity, notably a large Roman trading settlement/town. This has been reported in the media including BBC2’s for Digging for Britain on 10th March 2026. See also Guardian article of 11th Jan 2022; and Guardian article of 27th Feb 2022; and HS2-sponsored intermim publications and grey literature.

NORTH YORKSHIRE

Quarry Farm, Ingleby Barwick, North Yorks. New Roman villa discovered originally through aerial photography and an extensive programme of evaluation, the site was excavated in 2003-04 in advance of housing development. Unusually for the region, the site demonstrated evidence for occupation from the later prehistoric period through to the Anglo-Saxon. The excavations at Ingleby Barwick are significant not only for their scale but also for being carried out under modern recording conditions, allowing for extensive and detailed analysis of the finds. The villa is also a rare example of a Roman civilian site in the hinterland of Hadrian’s Wall. The Roman winged corridor villa and its outlying stone structures were surrounded by an extensive layout of rectilinear enclosures. While the main villa building was preserved in situ, excavation of the surrounding area revealed features such as ovens and paved surfaces, as well as rare finds such as a glass tableware vessel probably from Egypt and a large hoard of metalwork. The pottery has allowed a detailed phasing of the site to be proposed, while the environmental evidence reveals the villa to have been a working farm. Sources: Tees Archaeology: Archaeological Services, Durham University: A Roman Villa at the Edge of Empire. Excavations at Ingleby Barwick, Stockton-on-Tees, 2003–4. Edited by S. Willis and P. Carne. CBA Research Report 170. Council for British Archaeology, York, 2013

OXFORDSHIRE

Cutteslowe, Oxon. Roman villa reported to be found here by Dr Mark Merrony, Wolfson College, Oxford. When reporting on the potential discovery of a Roman fort, the same Guardian article of 2nd August 2024 by Dalya Alberge says, ‘[Merrony’s] previous discoveries include two Roman villas, at Ford in Pembrokeshire and at Cutteslowe in Oxfordshire, which he found in 2002 and 2016 respectively.’

Wantage area, Oxon. A Roman villa has been found at a housing estate development near Wantage, Oxfordshire. It was reported here by the BBC in April 2024 (brief video included.) Archaeologists from the Red River Archaeology Group came across the complex while working on a Barratt and David Wilson Homes housing development at Brookside Meadows in Grove near Wantage.

PEMBROKESHIRE

Ford, Pembs. Roman villa reported to be found here by Dr Mark Merrony, Wolfson College, Oxford. When reporting on the potential discovery of a Roman fort, the same Guardian article of 2nd August 2024 by Dalya Alberge says, ‘[Merrony’s] previous discoveries include two Roman villas, at Ford in Pembrokeshire and at Cutteslowe in Oxfordshire, which he found in 2002 and 2016 respectively.’

SHROPSHIRE

Wroxeter hinterland, Shrops. ‘Archaeological survey detects Roman villas and iron age farmsteads in Shropshire. National Trust ground-scanning technology maps new features close to site of Roman city of Wroxeter. Headline of Guardian article 4 July 2024.

‘As well as the two buried villas, characterised on the scan by their highly distinctive shape, and eight prehistoric farms, archaeologists also found evidence of a Roman cemetery, Roman road network and new features associated with a previously identified Anglo Saxon great hall.

‘The National Trust, which owns the land, said the “one of a kind” survey was carried out to help it plan for future nature conservation and tree-planting schemes across the landscape, as part of its ambitious targets to address climate change.’

(The Guardian article also quotes NT archaeologist Janine Young as saying that only six other villas are known in Shropshire, whereas more are known and suspected - see the Gazetteer (SH1-SH15) and the current Shropshire HER.)

SOMERSET

Dinnington, Somerset. EXCAVATION by the University of Winchester, in conjunction with Somerset County Council.

The report cited below by Christina Grande and Tony King looks at two Roman villas in southern and western Somerset, excavated Dinnington (NGR ST 404 135), was dug initially in 2002 for a Time Team Channel 4 programme, later continued as part of Time Team’s ‘Big Roman Dig’ in 2005.

The ‘Big Roman Dig’ was undertaken with the University of Winchester, and subsequent excavations by the university alone continued until 2007. Yarford (NGR ST 202 303) (see below) was excavated 2003-5 as part of the Southern Quantocks Archaeological Survey (SQAS), which had been initiated in 2000 by the university as a research project to investigate later prehistoric and Roman settlement in a previously under-investigated area.

The interest of these two sites lies primarily in their position on the western margins of the villa zone of Roman Britain. However, they are very different in size and, by inference, status. Dinnington is of considerable size, and is one of the well-known group of villas clustered around Ilchester. By contrast, Yarford is relatively modest, and situated very much on its own with no close neighbours of villa type. Both sites also have significant post-Roman phases, in the case of Dinnington, demonstrably running into the late fifth or early sixth century. The implications of the occupation of these sites at such a late date are also explored.

Source: Grande C & King A 2015 Dinnington and Yarford: two Roman villas in south and west Somerset. Available to download at Academia.Edu as free PDF

Yarford, Somerset. EXCAVATION by the University of Winchester, in conjunction with Somerset County Council.

The report cited below by Christina Grande and Tony King looks at two Roman villas in southern and western Somerset, excavated Dinnington (NGR ST 404 135) (see above), was dug initially in 2002 for a Time Team Channel 4 programme, later continued as part of Time Team’s ‘Big Roman Dig’ in 2005.

The ‘Big Roman Dig’ was undertaken with the University of Winchester, and subsequent excavations by the university alone continued until 2007. Yarford (NGR ST 202 303) was excavated 2003-5 as part of the Southern Quantocks Archaeological Survey (SQAS), which had been initiated in 2000 by the university as a research project to investigate later prehistoric and Roman settlement in a previously under-investigated area.

The interest of these two sites lies primarily in their position on the western margins of the villa zone of Roman Britain. However, they are very different in size and, by inference, status. Dinnington is of considerable size, and is one of the well-known group of villas clustered around Ilchester. By contrast, Yarford is relatively modest, and situated very much on its own with no close neighbours of villa type. Both sites also have significant post-Roman phases, in the case of Dinnington, demonstrably running into the late fifth or early sixth century. The implications of the occupation of these sites at such a late date are also explored.

Source: Grande C & King A 2015 Dinnington and Yarford: two Roman villas in south and west Somerset. Available to download at Academia.Edu as free PDF

SOUTH YORKSHIRE

Stancil, South Yorks. In 2016–2017 Wessex Archaeology undertook excavations between Rossington and Doncaster in South Yorkshire prior to the development of a strategic rail freight interchange. The majority of the archaeological evidence relates to the Romano-British period, when the site contained settlement/farming enclosures and fields used for grazing and cultivation. Archeologically detectable activity was focussed on the enclosures; a stone-built ‘T’-shaped crop-dryer reveals malt production was undertaken in one. The animal bone is relatively informative when compared to regional norms and this evidence, which is accompanied by the results of the analysis of organic residues within the pottery assemblage, suggests a husbandry strategy focussed on cattle carcase products, with some dairying. Charcoal evidence and charred/waterlogged plant remains reveal further information on the agricultural economy of the site including aspects such as crops grown, fuel use and the local environment. The finds assemblage from the site is also relatively rich for the area; such a reasonable degree of integration with the economy of the wider Roman province may have been facilitated by the close proximity of a villa at Stancil.

Daniel, P et al 2024. ‘Prehistoric Landscape Development and Romano-British Farming near Rossington, South Yorkshire’. Yorkshire Archaeological Journal 96 (1), 59-130

WILTSHIRE

Chalke Valley, Cranbourne Chase, Wilts. The remains of a Roman villa were excavated in 2024 by Teffont Archaeology.

The BBC reported: ‘A Roman villa indicating a "luxury lifestyle" has been discovered by archaeologists and 60 volunteers after metal detectorists reported a number of finds in the area. It is the first time the site has been excavated and it is the only Roman villa known of in Wiltshire's Chalke Valley. At 35m long, the villa had columns, mosaics, a bath house and possible outdoor pool, with finds now undergoing analysis before moving to Salisbury Museum.’ See full article at BBC News, 6th Dec 2024 including views from Dr Denise Wilding, dig director.

Lay Wood, near Devizes, Wilts. The remains of what is believed to be a 2,000-year-old Roman villa have been discovered near Devizes in Wiltshire. Archaeologists uncovered the remains on land near Lay Wood, between the Kennet and Avon Canal and Horton Road, as part of a survey ahead of a new housing development. Wessex Archaeology examined what was found. Steve Melligan, from the Crown Estate, which manages the land, said it was an ‘exciting find’, adding that ‘if the remains are of sufficient merit and condition we will ensure they are conserved as a valuable historical attraction for the local areas of Bishops Cannings, Roundway, Devizes and Wiltshire as whole’. BBC News, 10th Oct 2013.