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Lullingstone Roman Villa, Eynsford, Kent
| The mosaic floor in the Dining Room and Audience Chamber at the excavated Lullingstone Roman Villa, seen here from the north. The villa was discovered in 1939. It was built in about 100 AD. The site is particularly important for evidence of early Christianity. The first villa was a large house built of wattle and daub. It was rebuilt and expanded in stone in the second half of the second century. Finds from the site suggest that it may have been associated with Publius Helvius Pertinax. He was governor of Britain in AD185-6 and briefly emperor in AD 193. North of the main building are the remains of a mausoleum built in the early 4th century and incorporated into a late Saxon church. From circa 360 AD a large dining room was built and the north rooms were converted into a Christian chapel. This chapel contains a set of wall paintings with clear Christian symbolism, which is unique in the context of a Roman villa from Britain. The villa was apparently abandoned after a fire during the 5th century- possibly around 420. This site is now in the care of English Heritage (2010). Download the Lullingstone Roman Villa Teacher's Kit . Take advantage of our free entry for Learning Groups.
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Hardknott Fort, Eskdale, Cumbria
| Years of use as a remote sheep farm meant Hardknott Fort was only recognised as being of Roman origin in the late 17th century. Dating from the time of Hadrian, the Fort had suffered greatly from the attentions of stone robbers who removed large quantities of material for neighbouring farms. Unfortunately, robbing continued until the late 19th century, and only when archaeological excavation, survey and consolidation of the site began in 1892 did the future of the site begin to look secure. This site is now in the care of English Heritage (2010) and managed by the National Trust.
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Bath House Ruins, Wroxeter Roman City, Wroxeter, Shropshire
| The ruins of the Roman town of Viroconium Cornoviorum can be seen at Wroxeter. This view looks across the baths towards the wall which divided them from the exercise hall. Though a small village today Wroxeter was the fourth largest town in Roman Britain. It was a fortress from about AD 47, then became a civilian settlement from about AD 90 and thrived for 400 years. The Roman Army first appeared in the Wroxeter region in about AD 47 when it advanced along the line of the modern A5, which largely follows the course of the Roman road, Watling Street. By the late 50s AD it was a Legionary Fortress, the base of the Fourteenth Legion and then the Twentieth Legion. Virtually all the buildings were of timber, as were the defences. While the fortress was occupied a small civilian trading settlement seems to have developed close by. When the legions left in AD 90, the street grid and some of the buildings of the fortress were used to form the nucleus of the first town that replaced the fortress. This town was the seat of government for the tribal authority who now governed the region in the name of the Cornovii, the local tribe. They set out the boundaries of the town, which included the site of the fortress. A street grid of 48 town blocks was laid out. This site is now in the care of English Heritage (2011).
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Hadrian's Wall and Cawfields milecastle, Haltwhistle, Northumberland
| A view looking eastwards along Hadrian's Wall as it runs over the Crags. An opening giving controllable access through Hadrian's Wall was built every mile along the structure (known as a milecastle). Cawfields milecastle (number 42) can be seen here on the hill. This site is now in the care of English Heritage (2010).
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Chesters Roman fort, Humshaugh, Northumberland
| An aerial view of Chesters cavalry fort from the North West. This permanant troop base was built in the 2nd century AD soon after the completion of Hadrian's Wall. It remained occupied for three centuries. This site is now in the care of English Heritage (2010).
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Hadrian's Wall near Walltown Crags, Northumberland
| A view of part of Hadrian's Wall near Walltown Crags in Northumberland. The wall was built on the orders of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 122 AD. It is 73 miles long and is studded with milecastles and forts. It became a World Heritage Site in 1987. This site is now in the care of English Heritage (2010).
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|  | | Reproduced by permission of English Heritage.NMR |
North Leigh Roman Villa, North Leigh, Oxfordshire
| An exposed Roman floor level with some scattered tesserae and a possible decorative border three tesserae wide. Underneath looks like a possible collapsed hypocaust system. This site is now in the care of English Heritage (2010).
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Aelia Aeliana's tombstone, York, York
| The tombstone of Aelia Aeliana, a female resident of Roman York, is carved in gritstone. The inscription is broken and only her name is now preserved. The carved scene depicts a family - parents and a young girl - reclining at the dining table in Roman style.
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Chedworth Roman Villa, Gloucestershire
| The Roman villa was discovered by accident in 1864.The original villa on the site dates from the first half of the 2nd-century, it was subsequently updated after a fire in the late 2nd-century to include saunas, baths and verandhas.
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|  | | Reproduced by permission of English Heritage.NMR |
Old Kent Road, Southwark, London
| One of south London's most famous streets, the Old Kent Road follows the route of the Roman Watling Street. It is shown here in the late 19th century. A horse-drawn tram is seen outside Fletcher's Haircutting Rooms. The street was often lined with stalls and barrows selling all manner of wares. The road was the inspiration for a Victorian music hall song, "Knocked 'em in the Old Kent Road".
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Roman mosaic from Hinton St Mary, Dorset
| This mosaic is the earliest depiction of Christ found in Roman Britain and dates from the 4th century AD. The figure of Chirst is flanked by two pomegranates and lies on the Greek chi-rho (the first two letters of His name). The mosaic now lies in the British Museum.
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Roman Gardens, Chester, Cheshire
| Chester was the Roman fortress town of Deva and much Roman material has been found. Roman coilumns and a hypocaust (underfloor heating system) have been reconstructed in the Roman Gardens just outside the Newgate.
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Wansdyke, Wiltshire
| Wansdyke is an extensive frontier earthwork probably constructed in the late Roman period. Its function is most likely a means of marking and controlling a significant border, including all communications that ran across it.
The earthwork consists of a ditch and embankment running from Maes Knoll on the Mendips across Wiltshire to the Berkshire border, with a 14 mile section of Roman road linking the two ends together.
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