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Atworth Roman Villa

Atworth, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire

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Atworth Roman Villa excavations 1938
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A large Roman villa was discovered by ploughing in the 1930s in the north of Atworth parish, close to the London-Bath Roman road. Some excavations were carried out by A. Shaw Mellor of Box in 1937 and in 1938, uncovering the east wing and part of the main house on the northern side of a wide courtyard, with a bath house heated under the floor by a hypocaust. More excavations took place in six seasons in the years 1970 to 1975 which uncovered more of the main buildings and an aisled building to the southwest. The building was occupied between about 200 and 400 AD and excavations showed that part had been burnt, but this may have been as a result of accident rather than attack. Architectural fragments, including stone columns and other material are in Wiltshire Museum at Devizes where some are on display.

Atworth Roman Villa excavations 1938

A flight of stone steps leading down to the bath house