Bignor Roman Villa

Bignor Roman Villa stands on a south-facing slope of greensand ridge in West Sussex, just north of the South Downs. It is a large Roman courtyard villa with sixty-five rooms arranged around a central courtyard. The site sits close to Stane Street, about nine miles northeast of Chichester, the former Roman city of Noviomagus Reginorum. The villa’s owners grew wealthy from farming thanks to the fertile greensand soil and its proximity to the city. A farmstead existed here by the end of the 1st century, but the earliest stone structure dates to around 190 AD. The villa expanded over centuries, with major additions in the 3rd and 4th centuries. A four-roomed stone building was built in the mid-3rd century, later extended with a hypocaust and a portico facing east towards Stane Street. By the turn of the 4th century, north and south wings were added, forming a courtyard. The final phase included further additions to the north wing between 300 and 350 AD, where most of the fine mosaics are now found. Unlike Fishbourne Roman Palace, the villa declined gradually rather than being destroyed by fire. Visitors today see the well-preserved mosaics in rooms at the west end of the north wing. These include a summer and winter dining room, with the latter heated by underfloor systems. The bathhouse lies to the southeast of the main complex. The northern corridor, decorated with a Greek-key pattern, stretches for 24 metres, making it the longest in Britain. The site was first discovered in 1811 by farmer George Tupper and later excavated by John Hawkins and Samuel Lysons. Protective buildings now cover several mosaics, and the villa remains a significant example of Roman rural life in Britain.