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These photographs show a colourful mosaic at North Leigh Roman Villa: the only example in Oxfordshire that remains in situ. The villa was excavated in 1813 by Henry Hakewill, and originally boasted at least 19 geometric mosaics. Today, only one survives – the others having been destroyed by frost and through the removal of tesserae by historic visitors to the site when it was originally exposed.
Located about 850m south of Akeman Street, a Roman road connecting Verulamium (St Albans) to the east and Corinium (Cirencester) to the west, the villa began as a modest home in the early 2nd century AD, and was significantly expanded over the following 200 years. By the mid-4th century, it had developed into a four-range complex surrounding a courtyard, and was furnished with three bath suites and an extensive hypocaust system.
The site’s sole surviving mosaic (pictured) is believed to date to around AD 340, and probably adorned the floor of a reception and dining space. It uses mostly red, black, and cream tesserae, with additional pale grey elements, and a saltire (diagonal cross) forms a repeated motif, with each arm of the cross containing a stylised cantharus (two-handed drinking cup).
Last year, conservation work began at the villa (which is in the care of English Heritage) following a donation from the Michael Bishop Foundation, and the roof for the building housing the mosaic has been replaced, ensuring its preservation for decades to come.
You can learn more about the conservation work, and see the mosaic up close, during one of the villa’s scheduled open days; otherwise, the site is open to visitors during daylight hours. See http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/north-leigh-roman-villa for more details.
Text: Rebecca Preedy / Images: English Heritage
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