Roman Villas I
Outstanding feature of country life in Roman Britain
- Importance of villas to economy varied
- From period to period
- From place to place
- More prominent in the south
- South protected
- Less important in the north
- Absent from Wessex and Fenland in the south
- Typical features of villas in Britain
- Large structures with several rooms
- Rooms heated by hypocausts
- Mosaic floors became common after the 3rd century
- Private baths were introduced in the late 2nd century
Four architectural plans
- Cottage
- Rectangular structure
- Corridor or veranda in front
- Example: Lockleys
- Built ca. 65 CE
- Modified over time
- Built on a slope
- Wooden structure
- Winged corridor house
- Became standard form after 100 CE
- Central block
- Projecting wings
- Often expansion of cottage type
- Create small courtyard in front
- Courtyard house
- Used for largest and richest villas
- Plan
- Main house at the back
- Two long projecting wings
- Wall with entrance gate connected two wings
- Enclosed large rectangular court
- Various rooms on either side of court
- Best examples
- North Leigh in Oxfordshire
- Chedworth in Cotswolds
- Aisled house or basilica villa
- Rectangular building
- 2 rows of interior pillars
- Arranged along the long axis
- Divided interior into three sections
- Central nave
- 2 side aisles
- Best examples
- Spoonley Wood in Gloucestershire
- Farm at Clanvilla near Andover in Hampshire
- Leantwit Major in Glancorgan