Abermagwr Roman Villa reconstruction

Description

Trial excavations in July 2010 showed that the Abermagwr villa had all the trappings of established villas elsewhere, including a slate roof and glazed windows. The building had a main block with three main rooms measuring 22m east-west by 8m north-south, with a verandah and two projecting alae or wings on the south side. A small room measuring 5m x 4m was appended to the rear of the building at a later date. It was roofed with local slates but these were pentagonal, cut with five sides and a fine point to form a highly decorative roof, common amongst villas in south-west England and the Isle of Wight. The walls were built of local stone on cobble foundations though the upper storey (if such existed) may possibly have been timber-framed and plastered. The villa was fronted by a cobbled yard. This new reconstruction of the building draws on evidence found during the 2010 excavations. Other buildings, including an estate barn, probably stood within the courtyard but no evidence has yet been found for them.