CHAIN MAIL

Issue 146    March 1st   to June 1st 2020

Hungerford Virtual Museum

Littlecote Roman Villa

In the grounds of Littlecote House are the remains of the best-preserved Roman villa above ground in England. It is the only fully exposed villa in Britain and features the largest gatehouse ever found in a Roman villa in Britain.

The most memorable Roman remain, however, is the stunning 4th-century mosaic depicting Orpheus, the god of the underworld, arguably the finest Roman mosaic yet discovered in the British Isles.

The “villa” was first discovered in 1727 by William George, the estate steward to Sir Francis Popham, when he came across the Orpheus mosaic. It was described as “the finest pavement that the sun ever shone upon in England”. An engraving and a drawing were made, from which a tapestry was created. This tapestry hung in Littlecote House until 1985. (Its whereabouts are currently unknown).

However, Sir Francis Popham did not want lots of people visiting this estate to see the mosaic, so it was covered up again, and trees planted over the site, which was declared “lost”.

About 250 years later, in 1976, the villa was rediscovered, and in April 1978 the owner of Littlecote, Sir Seton Wills, founded a long-term research project, led by the Roman archaeologists Bryn Walters and Bernard Phillips.

After buying the estate in 1985, Peter de Savary continued his support of the excavation until they were completed in 1991.

The villa is large, and fairly complex. The Orpheus mosaic, which is nationally important, is thought to date from c AD360-365.

Bryn Walters gave the very first talk to the newly founded Hungerford Historical Association in September 1979, and he came back to give the 40th anniversary talk in September 2019.

A group of about 20 volunteers is helping to restore the villa and the mosaic which has become somewhat over-run with moss, grass and weeds in the intervening 35 years. We meet for about 2 hours every two weeks or so between March and October.

If you would be interested in joining the group, please contact me. You would be very welcome.

For much more on this or any other aspect of Hungerford’s fascinating history, visit the Hungerford Virtual Museum – www.hungerfordvirtualmuseum.co.uk                   Hugh Pihlen