Luxury Roman villa excavated by local community archaeologists in Wiltshire’s Chalke Valley

Community volunteers have discovered the first-known major Roman villa in south Wiltshire's Chalke Valley in an excavation co-directed by a Cardiff University senior lecturer.

Funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund through Cranborne Chase National Landscape’s Chase & Chalke Landscape Partnership Scheme and run by Teffont Archaeology, over 60 volunteers helped excavate and record mosaics, painted wall plaster and large stone buildings at the site over a two-week period in Chalke Valley.

Local metal-detectorists discovered the site, reporting many Roman finds to the Portable Antiquities Scheme at Salisbury Museum.

Dr David Roberts of Cardiff University, who co-directed the project, said, “We’re delighted to have discovered the first-known Roman villa in this part of south Wiltshire working with our local volunteers.

They found the villa was over 35m long with several additional buildings including a large bath house, a multi-storey barn, and an enigmatic concrete-floored structure which may have been an outdoor pool.

High-quality mosaics include elaborate geometric patterns and would have shown off the site’s owners’ cultural sophistication to visitors.

Dr Denise Wilding of Teffont Archaeology, who co-directed the project, said, “The high-status objects from the site, particularly furnishings such as the painted wall plaster and columns, demonstrate the wealth and power of those living here.

“These artefacts are especially significant due to the lack of recent excavations of high-status sites in this area.

“We’re very grateful to the landowners of the site for allowing the excavation on their land.”

Rob Lloyd, who manages Chase & Chalke, said, “Everyone at Chase & Chalke is really excited by these discoveries made by our local communities.

“Over the summer we’ve worked with Teffont Archaeology to provide hundreds of free volunteering opportunities in archaeology at two projects, and have seen the immense difference these activities make to people’s wellbeing and engagement with their local heritage”.

The archaeological team will now work on analysing the finds from the site, and next year will give a range of talks locally about the results.

Volunteers will also take part in processing the finds and learning about the site in events at project partners Salisbury Museum.

Find out more about the Chase & Chalke project at cranbornechase.org.uk, Teffont Archaeology at teffontarchaeology.com and archaeology and conservation at Cardiff University.