Chedworth Villa
 Roman Britain |
Generally regarded as the finest preserved Roman villa in Britain. Chedworth is certainly one of the most beautifully located Romano sites, set in a splendid wooded valley. Its discovery was quite fortuitous. In 1864, a gamekeeper digging for a lost ferret accidentally came upon the remains of the building, but not until the 1960's was the history of the site was detailed through much excavation.
By the first half of the 2nd century the villa consisted of two separate buildings located to the west and south of a detached bath-suite in the north. During the early 3rd century the west and south wings experienced major fire damage and were later rebuilt. The bath suite was greatly enlarged and additional rooms built to the east. By the 4th century, Chedworth Villa assumed its present layout, much enlarged by major changes. The various wings were united with a covered veranda. An inner garden and outer courtyard were created and the main dining room received its exquisite mosaics. A second set of baths were constructed in the west wing and the northern range was extended to house a new dining room. At this point in its history, Chedworth had undergone a total transformation from being a cluster of several buildings to a substantial and luxurious villa, incorporating a major bathing complex.
Of the eleven rooms known to have contained mosaics, five remain and are on view to the public. The most striking of these survive in the original dining room, and despite the main section being partially destroyed, the greater part of three of the eight panels remain. These glorious mosaics represent the work of master craftsmen and intricately depict three of the seasons Spring, Summer and Winter. A museum on the site houses the artifacts from the excavations.
For further information see http://www.chedworthromanvilla.com/