Bancroft Roman Villa is a Roman villa in the Bancroft district of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, England. Originally a winged-corridor house, the villa eventually became a grand building with mosaics and a formal garden. The principal rooms have been marked out in Bancroft Park and the fish-pond has been reconstructed. One of the mosaics is on display in Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre.
| Bancroft Roman Villa | |
|---|---|
 Site of Bancroft Roman Villa | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Bancroft grid reference SP827403 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 52°03′24″N 0°47′53″W / 52.05675°N 0.79817°W |
| Construction started | 1st century |
| Demolished | 5th century |
History
editThe first farmhouse was constructed in the late 1st century,[1] located downhill from where there had previously been an Iron-Age settlement.[2] In the 2nd century a temple or mausoleum was constructed on the hilltop. Around 170 AD the farmstead was destroyed by fire,[1] but by the late 3rd century it had been replaced by a larger house.[3] In the 4th century major renovations were undertaken.[4] Geometric mosaics were added to many rooms and the main bath-suite was rebuilt and enlarged.[5] In front of the villa a formal garden was laid out together with an ornamental fish-pond.[5] On the top of the hill, the mausoleum was demolished and a circular shrine was built nearby.[4]
Excavation and display
editThe villa was partially excavated in the 1970s, and then more fully in 1983-7, becoming one of the most extensively excavated Roman villas in Britain.[5] The villa has since been reburied to ensure its preservation, but the principal rooms have been marked out on the ground with modern stonework and the fish-pond has been reconstructed.[5] The mosaics were removed from the site and one was prominently displayed in Queen's Court, CMK Shopping Centre.[6] Due to 'redevelopment' of Queen's Court, the mosaic was remounted subsequently in the "guest services lounge" of the centre.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Archaeology in the Milton Keynes District - Farmstead Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Milton Keynes Heritage Association, retrieved 15 May 2012
- ^ Archaeology in the Milton Keynes District - Iron Age, Milton Keynes Heritage Association, retrieved 15 May 2012
- ^ Archaeology in the Milton Keynes District - Roman Villa, Milton Keynes Heritage Association, retrieved 15 May 2012
- ^ a b Archaeology in the Milton Keynes District - Bancroft Villa : final plan Archived 2011-09-12 at the Wayback Machine, Milton Keynes Heritage Association, retrieved 15 May 2012
- ^ a b c d Roger John Anthony Wilson, (2002), A guide to the Roman remains in Britain, pages 250–1. Constable
- ^ David E. Johnston (2008) Roman Villas, page 62. Osprey
- ^ "Bancroft Villa fourth-century Roman mosaic pavement". Heritage Tile Conservation Ltd. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017..
Further reading
edit- R. J. Williams, R. J. Zeepvat, (1994), Bancroft: a Late Bronze Age/Iron Age Settlement, Roman Villa and Temple Mausoleum. Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society. ISBN 0-949003-13-1
External links
edit- Archaeology in the Milton Keynes District - Roman Bancroft
- Bancroft Villa 4th Century Roman Pavement, conservation and display by Heritage Tile Conservation Ltd
- Build a model of Bancroft Roman Villa, Armada Model Designs
- Bancroft Roman Villa, Roman Britain