Southwell's Roman Villa - Southwell, Nottinghamshire
Posted by: SMacB
N 53° 04.582 W 000° 57.103
30U E 637210 N 5882727
An information board at the site of a 1st - 4th century Roman villa complex and remains of an 8th century Anglo-Saxon cemetery, Southwell.
Waymark Code: WM11XXQ
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/07/2020
Views: 1
An information board at the site of a 1st - 4th century Roman villa complex and remains of an 8th century Anglo-Saxon cemetery, Southwell. Beneath part of this Site lies a section of an important Roman Villa, a Scheduled Ancient Monument, which is at the heart of Southwell’s historic core - ( visit link) The board reads - "This land, known as The Orchard, was purchased by Southwell Town Council with the help of generous donations in November 2012. The land and the adjoining gardens contain the remains of part of a substantial and important Roman villa that were first noted in the eighteenth century. In the 1950s a major excavation took place in preparation for the building of the former Minster School that was erected on the adjacent land. It became clear that this is a significant Roman site with a building containing many rooms; the south wing alone had at least six rooms, with the remains of mosaics found in four of them.
The villa bath-house, which is situated near Church Street, was an impressive structure with a cold plunge bath measuring 24’ x 1[5’ 6”. The walls were decorated with splendid painted plaster and the surviving image of Cupid (opposite) is displayed in Southwell Minster.
Archaeological investigations in 2008-9 revealed a monumental wall, constructed with massive sandstone blocks, which is very unusual in a British villa. A more recent investigation has revealed evidence of further Roman buildings on the school site, demonstrating that the villa extended -down towards the Potwell Dyke, showing that it was an important legacy of the Roman period.
The various investigations of the former school site, in addition to finding Roman remains, have unearthed evidence of burials relating to the Anglo- Saxon period. Carbon dating shows that these are from the period prior to the foundation of the Minster. This could suggest that there was an earlier church on this site.
Adjoining the site can be seen the remains of the Archbishop of York’s Palace that was completed circa 1436. The surrounding land was part of the Archbishop's Deer Park."
Type of Historic Marker: Information board
Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Southwell Heritage Trust
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Age/Event Date: Not listed
Related Website: Not listed
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