Great Witcombe Roman Villa

HWW - these walls aren't very impressive today, but around 1700 years ago, they formed one of the largest Roman houses in Britain; part of a cluster of very wealthy villas in the Cotswolds area. It was occupied for around 200 years, until the end ofthe Roman period in Britain.

Fed by a nearby natural spring, the site was sheltered and fertile. The original plan of the main villa was a symmetrical U shape, carefully terraced into the hillside. The west wing consisted almost entirely of two bath-houses, which were both in use at the same time. The east wing comprised kitchens and storerooms. A rectangular dining room projected from the north side of the central range, which was probably open on one side to provide a covered walkway with a view down the hillside. Both wings had an upper floor where the family lived, and there was probably an upper level above the walkway too. The villa’s entrance may have been straight onto the upper storey.