Reasons for Designation
Villas were an important component of the Romano-British rural landscape and
represent the most Romanised form of farmstead. The presence of waterlogging
is unusual and provides conditions for the survival of organic remains (eg
wood, plants, seeds); such remains provide information not available from dry
sites on the functions and use of the villa and on the rural economy. It
would appear from the earthworks visible in the field that much of the
original villa site survives, including the main villa building.
Details
The monument comprise the site of a Romano-British villa located in a field
immediately north-east of the modern village of Banwell. The villa is visible
in the form of a group of well defined and well preserved building platforms.
The monument was discovered in 1968 during pipe-laying operations and
preliminary investigations were made. The area partially excavated comprised
a bath-house, adjacent courtyard and a length of wall. An almost complete
plan of the bath-house is available from excavation. The main mosaic and apse
were recovered as was the hot room floor, raised on two rows of pilae through
which heat from the furnace passed. The bath-house was situated close to the
River Banwell and in the 3rd to 4th centuries was connected to the main
building by a paved room or corridor. Pottery and animal bones scattered in
and around the main building suggest that the bath-house ceased to function
sometime during the 4th century. This part of the villa is now waterlogged
and the floors subsided.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
12009
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
