Maple Explore Local Roman Villa at Littlecote

Maple class are currently learning all about the Romans, so as part of their studies they visited the Roman villa and mosaic which is situated just along the road from school at Littlecote Park.

Here's some fascinating information about the Roman villa and mosaic from visitpewsyvale.co.uk

Littlecote House is a Grade 1 Tudor manor with its earlier parts built in the 16th and 17th centuries. It has historical connections with Henry VIII when he was courting Jane Seymour and later with the Civil War. Originally owned by the Popham family, it is now an hotel and open only to residents. The Roman villa and mosaic are sited to the west of Littlecote House.

The Roman villa was initially built in about 60AD near the site of a Roman guard post covering a crossing of the River Kennet. Successively rebuilt and enlarged over the next two centuries, in its heyday it boasted 60 rooms, two thermal baths and a number of mosaic floors and hypocausts. The magnificent surviving mosaic floor was built in the mid 4th century. Its central feature depicts Orpheus, god of the underworld and musician to Apollo. It is thought that this was a homage to a religious cult associated with Apollo and Bacchus which flourished at that time. The quality of the mosaic design and the rarity of its overall configuration, with what would have been three semi-circular apses at one end, make it one of the outstanding Roman mosaics in Britain. It is now protected by a roof and there is a raised viewing platform.

The villa fell into decay around 400, shortly before the Roman evacuation of Britain. The mosaic floor was discovered in 1726 but was then reburied before being rediscovered in 1976. Little remains of the rest of the villa which flanks the Orpheus mosaic and is spread out over a hectare of land, but the pattern of its exterior and internal walls, now marked out by modern low walls, gives a vivid impression of its size. Storyboards provide information on how the villa with its imposingly tall gatehouse would have looked. When the villa was being excavated traces of a medieval village were found, but it appears that the village was later deliberately dismantled prior to the creation of the manor and its demesne in the 16th century.

It was a beautiful day the for class's visit and they had a great time exploring the site and studying the incredibly intricate and beautiful mosaic. We're so lucky to have so much amazing history right on our doorstep!