Bancroft Roman Villa

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Bancroft Roman Villa
Bancroft Villa, Milton Keynes - geograph.org.uk - 29755.jpg
Site of Bancroft Roman Villa
Bancroft Roman Villa
Zoomable map of the area around the villa
Location Bancroft, Milton Keynes
Region South East England
Coordinates 52°03′24″N0°47′53″W / 52.05675°N 0.79817°W / 52.05675; -0.79817
grid reference SP827403
TypeRomano-British villa and farm
History
Founded1st century
Abandoned5th century

Bancroft Roman Villa is a Roman villa in the Bancroft district of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, England. Originally a winged-corridor house, the villa eventually became a grand building with mosaics and a formal garden. The site has been conserved, with the principal rooms marked out and the fish-pond reconstructed. One of the mosaics is on display in Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre.

Contents

History

The first farmhouse was constructed in the late 1st century, [1] located downhill from where there had previously been an Iron-Age settlement. [2] In the 2nd century a temple or mausoleum was constructed on the hilltop. Around 170 AD the farmstead was destroyed by fire, [1] but by the late 3rd century it had been replaced by a larger house. [3] In the 4th century major renovations were undertaken. [4] Geometric mosaics were added to many rooms and the main bath-suite was rebuilt and enlarged. [5] In front of the villa a formal garden was laid out together with an ornamental fish-pond. [5] On the top of the hill, the mausoleum was demolished and a circular shrine was built nearby. [4]

Excavation and display

The villa was partially excavated in the 1970s, and then more fully in 1983-7, becoming one of the most extensively excavated Roman villas in Britain. [5] The villa has since been reburied to ensure its preservation, but the principal rooms have been marked out on the ground with modern stonework and the fish-pond has been reconstructed. [5] The mosaics were removed from the site and one was prominently displayed in Queen's Court, CMK Shopping Centre. [6] Due to 'redevelopment' of Queen's Court, the mosaic was remounted subsequently in the "guest services lounge" of the centre. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 Archaeology in the Milton Keynes District - Farmstead Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine , Milton Keynes Heritage Association, retrieved 15 May 2012
  2. ↑ Archaeology in the Milton Keynes District - Iron Age, Milton Keynes Heritage Association, retrieved 15 May 2012
  3. ↑ Archaeology in the Milton Keynes District - Roman Villa, Milton Keynes Heritage Association, retrieved 15 May 2012
  4. 1 2 Archaeology in the Milton Keynes District - Bancroft Villa : final plan Archived 2011-09-12 at the Wayback Machine , Milton Keynes Heritage Association, retrieved 15 May 2012
  5. 1 2 3 4 Roger John Anthony Wilson, (2002), A guide to the Roman remains in Britain, pages 250–1. Constable
  6. ↑ David E. Johnston (2008) Roman Villas, page 62. Osprey
  7. ↑ "Bancroft Villa fourth-century Roman mosaic pavement". Heritage Tile Conservation Ltd. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017..

Further reading

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