Bignor Roman Villa
Encyclopedia
Bignor Roman Villa is a large Roman courtyard villa
which has been excavated and put on public display on the Bignor
estate in the English
county of West Sussex
. It is well-known for its high quality mosaic
floors, which are some of the most complete and intricate in the country.
close to Stane Street, about 9 miles north-east of Chichester
(the Roman city of Noviomagus Regentium) and the nearby and much larger Fishbourne Roman Palace
. It is on the south-facing slope of a ridge of greensand
which provided better conditions for agriculture than the nearby chalk
; this fact and its proximity to Roman Chichester meant that the owners were able to become wealthy from farming.
who lived at nearby Bignor Park, and the antiquary, Samuel Lysons
. Opened to the public in 1814, it rapidly became a tourist attraction
, with nearly a thousand entries in the visitors' book in the first nine months.
By 1815 the remains of a substantial villa had been uncovered and protective buildings had been erected over several of the mosaics. In 1818 Samuel Lysons read his third and final paper on the villa to the Society of Antiquaries
. He had already published a series of engravings of the villa with the help of Richard Smirke and Charles Stothard. These engravings together with his three papers and his and his brother's correspondence with Hawkins form the only record of the original excavations. Excavations ceased in 1819 after Samuel Lysons' death.
No further work was undertaken on the site until 1925 when S. E. Winbolt did some minor work. Between 1956 and 1962 Sheppard Frere
re-excavated parts of the villa in the first attempt to determine its chronology. Since then Thomas Tupper, the direct descendent of the discoverer, whose family still owns the site, has undertaken further excavations: with Margaret Rule
in the 1970s, and David Rudling in the 1980s.
farmstead on the site by the end of the 1st century is indicated by finds, but the earliest structural remains are of a simple timber farm structure dating to around 200. A four-roomed stone building was built in the middle of the 3rd century, and this was extended before 400 by the addition of a few new rooms, a hypocaust
, and a portico
that faced east towards Stane Street.
This building became the western wing when north and south wings and later an east wing were added. In its final form, the villa consisted of some sixty-five rooms surrounding a courtyard, with a number of outlying farm buildings. The latest phase of building involved additions to the north wing, and it is here that most of the fine mosaics are located.
The later history of the villa is not well known, but it appears to have gradually declined in status, rather than suffering a catastrophic fate like the fire which destroyed most of Fishbourne Palace.
) dining room. The bathhouse is to the south-east. The rooms contain some of the best Roman mosaic
s to be found in Great Britain, both in terms of preservation, artistic merit and detailing. The Greek-key-patterned northern corridor extends for some 79 ft (24m).
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...
which has been excavated and put on public display on the Bignor
Bignor
Bignor is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of the English county of West Sussex, about six miles north of Arundel....
estate in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. It is well-known for its high quality mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
floors, which are some of the most complete and intricate in the country.
Location
The villa is situated just north of the South DownsSouth Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
close to Stane Street, about 9 miles north-east of Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
(the Roman city of Noviomagus Regentium) and the nearby and much larger Fishbourne Roman Palace
Fishbourne Roman Palace
Fishbourne Roman Palace is in the village of Fishbourne in West Sussex. The large palace was built in the 1st century AD, around thirty years after the Roman conquest of Britain on the site of a Roman army supply base established at the Claudian invasion in 43 AD. The rectangular palace surrounded...
. It is on the south-facing slope of a ridge of greensand
Greensand
Greensand or Green sand is either a sand or sandstone, which has a greenish color. This term is specifically applied to shallow marine sediment, that contains noticeable quantities of rounded greenish grains. These grains are called glauconies and consist of a mixture of mixed-layer clay...
which provided better conditions for agriculture than the nearby chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
; this fact and its proximity to Roman Chichester meant that the owners were able to become wealthy from farming.
Discovery and excavations
George Tupper, a farmer, discovered the villa in 1811 when his plough hit a large stone. It was almost entirely excavated by John HawkinsJohn Hawkins (geologist)
John Hawkins was a geologist, traveller and writer,He was the youngest son of Thomas Hawkins of Trewinnard, St Erth, Cornwall, M.P. for Grampound, by Anne, daughter of James Heywood of London...
who lived at nearby Bignor Park, and the antiquary, Samuel Lysons
Samuel Lysons
Samuel Lysons FRS was a notable English engraver and antiquary of the late 18th and early 19th century, who - with his older brother, Daniel - published the four-volume The Environs of London...
. Opened to the public in 1814, it rapidly became a tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
, with nearly a thousand entries in the visitors' book in the first nine months.
By 1815 the remains of a substantial villa had been uncovered and protective buildings had been erected over several of the mosaics. In 1818 Samuel Lysons read his third and final paper on the villa to the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
. He had already published a series of engravings of the villa with the help of Richard Smirke and Charles Stothard. These engravings together with his three papers and his and his brother's correspondence with Hawkins form the only record of the original excavations. Excavations ceased in 1819 after Samuel Lysons' death.
No further work was undertaken on the site until 1925 when S. E. Winbolt did some minor work. Between 1956 and 1962 Sheppard Frere
Sheppard Frere
Professor Sheppard Sunderland Frere, CBE, FSA, FBA is a former British historian and archaeologist who studied the Roman Empire.-Biography:...
re-excavated parts of the villa in the first attempt to determine its chronology. Since then Thomas Tupper, the direct descendent of the discoverer, whose family still owns the site, has undertaken further excavations: with Margaret Rule
Margaret Rule
Margaret Rule, CBE led the project that excavated and raised the Tudor warship Mary Rose in 1982. Educated at Cambridge University in land archaeology, she was the curator of the Fishbourne Roman Palace, when she began her work in maritime archaeology when she was consulted on the initial search...
in the 1970s, and David Rudling in the 1980s.
History and structure
The existence of a Romano-BritishRomano-British
Romano-British culture describes the culture that arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest of AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, a people of Celtic language and...
farmstead on the site by the end of the 1st century is indicated by finds, but the earliest structural remains are of a simple timber farm structure dating to around 200. A four-roomed stone building was built in the middle of the 3rd century, and this was extended before 400 by the addition of a few new rooms, a hypocaust
Hypocaust
A hypocaust was an ancient Roman system of underfloor heating, used to heat houses with hot air. The word derives from the Ancient Greek hypo meaning "under" and caust-, meaning "burnt"...
, and a portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
that faced east towards Stane Street.
This building became the western wing when north and south wings and later an east wing were added. In its final form, the villa consisted of some sixty-five rooms surrounding a courtyard, with a number of outlying farm buildings. The latest phase of building involved additions to the north wing, and it is here that most of the fine mosaics are located.
The later history of the villa is not well known, but it appears to have gradually declined in status, rather than suffering a catastrophic fate like the fire which destroyed most of Fishbourne Palace.
Mosaics
The rooms on display today are mostly located at the west end of the north wing, including a summer and winter (underfloor heatedHypocaust
A hypocaust was an ancient Roman system of underfloor heating, used to heat houses with hot air. The word derives from the Ancient Greek hypo meaning "under" and caust-, meaning "burnt"...
) dining room. The bathhouse is to the south-east. The rooms contain some of the best Roman mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
s to be found in Great Britain, both in terms of preservation, artistic merit and detailing. The Greek-key-patterned northern corridor extends for some 79 ft (24m).