More information : (TL 78067204) ROMAN VILLA (R) (site of) (NAT) (1)
Roman villa discovered in a field called "The Horselands". Excavations by Prigg in 1877 revealed remains of a large room with a hypocaust and three other smaller rooms (see plan). In the debris in the SE corner of the hypocaust a find of a number of minimi suggest a late 5th century date for the dismantling of the building. Finds included fragments of various kinds of pottery, iron nails and a Saxon axehead (probably lost by a workman dismantling the villa). Many coins, occupation debris and Romano-British sherds, including 3rd and 4th century rims and Samian ware, were found in the field and pieces of metal, tiles, bricks and building materials probably the remains of a building, were also discovered. (1-3)
Not visible on OS air photographs. (4)
The villa was situated on a gentle south west slope at present under stubble. Its site is identifiable as a slight subrectangular rise measuring approximately 30.0m north east-south west by 20.0m transversely. Perambulation produced several sherds of Romano-British grey coarse ware, one small piece of Samian and a light scatter of fragmented brick and tile in association with large flint nodules. No further excavations are known to have been made.
The soil-mark of a road can be seen on OS (air photographs authority 4) leaving the site in a south-east direction. It is visible on the ground as a slight rise, and has recently been confirmed by excavation undertaken by Suffolk Archaeological Unit directed by Miss J Plouviez (See RRX54). (5)
In 1982, a group of bronze statues, including a figure of Mars or Hercules, and a leopard, were illegally removed by metal-detector users from the site. Some of them were offered for sale in New York in 1989. (6)
|