Rural Estate in Gatcombe

Province

Britannia

Province Description

Location

Gatcombe
Gatcombe (Pleiades)

Garden

Rural Estate in Gatcombe

Keywords

villae rusticae

Garden Description

This site of a large rural estate about 9 hectares in size in Somerset is enclosed within a massive wall (Fig.1). Although the site was not completely excavated, there is evidence to suggest that the main residence (A in Fig. 1) was located at the southern end of the complex, separated from various workshops and subsidiary buildings in the northern half by an area of cultivated soil. This area has been interpreted as a garden, based on the absence of buildings and the presence of 10-15 centimeters thick layer of rich humus (G in Fig. 1). The complex was built between A.D. 280 and 300, with occupation ending around 380.

Plans

Fig. 1: Plan of the farm with villa buildings (A).

Dates

ca. 280-380 CE

Bibliography

K. Branigan, The Roman Villa in South-West England, Bradford-on-Avon, 1976, pp. 55, 77, fig. 34. (worldcat)
K. Branigan, Gatcombe. The Excavation and Study of a Romano-British Villa Estate, 1967-1976. British Archeological Reports, Brit. Ser. 44, Oxford, 1977, pp. 50, 141, 181-182, figs. 2, 33. (worldcat)

Publication date

21 Apr 2021