Rural Villa in Sudeley/Spoonley Wood

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Dates

3rd/4th century CE

Excavation Dates

1882

Location

Garden

Rural Villa in Sudeley/Spoonley Wood

Garden Description

The main residence of this rural estate in Gloucestershire, excavated in 1882, is of the winged corridor type (Fig. 1). From the north and south corners of the house, walls ran in a westerly direction to enclose an open courtyard (G in Fig. 1) approximately 65 meters wide and 45 meters deep from the outer boundary to the main entrance of the house. A paved path was axially arranged in the courtyard to connect the entrance to the courtyard with that of the residential building. The western third of the courtyard is marked off by low scarps which may be remains of garden terraces (T in Fig. 1). Finds from the site indicate a 3rd/4th century date for the complex.

Plans

Fig. 1: Plan of the villa with a path (stippled) leading through a courtyard garden (G) and garden.

Bibliography

Ancient and Historical Monuments in the County of Gloucester Vol. 1. Royal Commission on Historical Monuments of England, London, 1976, pp. 113-114, fig. on p. 114. (worldcat)
C. Taylor, The Archaeology of Gardens. Shire Archaeology Series 30, Aylesbury, 1983, pp. 30-31, fig. 1. (worldcat)

Sudeley on Gardens of the Roman Empire

Rural Villa in Sudeley/Spoonley Wood

Dates

Excavation Dates

Location

Garden

Garden Description

Plans

Bibliography

Keywords

Places