Chedworth Roman Villa

As many readers will know, I have spent the last few years bringing the history of Chedworth Roman Villa in the Cotswolds to life. I was therefore excited to visit the remains of a massive Roman amphitheatre in nearby Cirencester.

Artist's impression of the Cirencester Amphitheatre (via the English Heritage interpretation board)

Cirencester, known as Corinium almost two thousand years ago, was the second largest town in Roman Britain after Londinium (London). Various sources estimate the population to have been around 12 000 people. Given the relatively close proximity of Chedworth Roman Villa to the town, it is highly likely that the owners would have attended Gladiatorial events and other activities at the amphitheatre. One of the theories is that the villa was owned by a very wealthy government official or businessperson based in Corinium, making regular attendance at the amphitheatre more likely.

An illustrated map showing the location of the amphitheatre (left) and Chedworth Roman Villa (right)

Walking around what remains of the groundworks of the...

As many readers will know, I have found my way to the ruins of a National Trust owned Roman Villa in the Cotswolds. In its heyday, Chedworth Roman Villa was one of the grandest villas in Roman Britain with stunning mosaics, two bath houses and several types of hypocaust (underfloor heating systems).

The warm room mosaic in the Chedworth Bath House

Pillars of a hypocaust. Hot air would circulate around these pillars and warm the mosaic floor and room above.

Today, visitors wind their way along narrow country lanes with no mobile signal and, on arrival, many ask the question, 'Why would they build a Villa in the middle of nowhere?'. One of the answers is that,  almost two thousand years ago, the site would not have been in the middle of nowhere. Corinium (today's Cirencester), the second largest city in Roman Britain, was nearby and the Fosse Way, a major road, provided good access for residents, visitors and...

It has been just over a year since I made the move from South Africa to the UK to work for the National Trust. What a journey it has been. Several people have asked me to reflect on the experience so far, so here we go...

The National Trust's 'oldest stately home'

The Trust is known for its grand homes, superb gardens and special collections. There are over 500 properties in the NT portfolio and I have found my way to a unique site, a 1700 year old Roman Villa and what some people fondly call the Trust's 'oldest stately home'. In its heyday in the 4th century AD, it was one of the grandest villas in Roman Britain with underfloor heating, running water for the latrine, spectacular mosaics and two bath houses. We still don't know how the owners made their money (there are several theories) but we do know from the scale of the structure and the spectrum of artefacts found here that they would have been part of the elite. I love the place and have become very attached in a short space of time.

Bluebells during springtime at the Villa. The pillars in the room on the left are the remains of a hypocaust (underfloor heating system).

Every morning...