Overlooking the River Coln in the Cotswolds, this villa is located just off the Roman road known as the Fosse Way and is one of the largest and most elaborate to be discovered in Britain.
Built in phases from the early second century to the fifth century, it was the fourth-century construction that transformed the building into an elite dwelling arranged around three sides of a courtyard.
The site was first discovered and excavated in 1864 but digs as recent as 2010 and 2014 have uncovered new and previously concealed features. Highlights include a formal dining room (triclinium) with a beautiful mosaic depicting the four seasons, plus two bathing suites complete with plunge pools and heating systems.
The villa is deliberately positioned adjacent to a natural spring, around which a nymphaeum – a shrine to water nymphs – was built. The spring water was fed into an eight-sided pool, then on to the villa buildings.
Today, the very same spring supplies water to on-site visitors. A noteworthy feature at Chedworth is a luxurious latrine located just off the kitchen, which is unusual given the kitchen would have been part of the servants’ quarters and the toilets would have been for high-status residents and guests.
Elsewhere, Chedworth’s museum houses finds such as bone hairpins and imported pottery made in Africa and Palestine, suggesting that the villa’s owners were wealthy Romans.
