Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A Roman building, described by Wheeler as "resembling a bath-house or the bathrooms of a villa", was excavated in 1881-2 in a field called "The Vineyards". Several building phases were evident. The building had a hypocaust and a quern was found on a tesselated pavement. Finds included a little Samian ware pottery and coins ranged from Victorinus to Magnentius. Additional material was found nearby in 1955 and may represent a scatter of occupational material from the site.

Monument Types

• BATH HOUSE (Roman - 43 AD? (at some time) to 409 AD? (at some time))
• INDUSTRIAL SITE (Roman - 43 AD? (at some time) to 409 AD? (at some time))
• KILN (Roman - 43 AD? (at some time) to 409 AD? (at some time))
• PAVEMENT (Roman - 43 AD? (at some time) to 409 AD? (at some time))
• VILLA (VILLA, Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

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[TR 2405 5724] ROMAN VILLA [R] (site of) (1) A Roman building, described by Wheeler as "resembling a bath-house or the bathrooms of a villa", was excavated in 1881-2 in a field called "The Vineyards". ["Plan" see AO/LP/65/44: Re-use of the building for industrial purposes is suggested: several building phases are evident. A hypocaust was of two periods (?latterly a kiln) and a quern was found on a tesselated pavement.] Finds included a little Samian: coins ranged from Victorinus to Magnentius. (2-4) A hundred yards south-east (40ft. from the wire fence of the stackyard, south of the meadow, and at 45ft. from the S.E. angle of the stackyard fence) a series of "rude" stone walls were found. Findsincluded much "Upchurch" pottery, and a few relics of modern or medieval date. (3) Roman material found in 1955 [area TR 241 575] may represent a scatter of occupational material from the site. (5) (2-5) The site is under permanent pasture. There are no visible remains. (6) Excavations by Mr F. Jenkins have uncovered part of the Roman villa. The most important finds are Anglo-Friesian potsherds indicating a very early settlement in the vicinity of the villa, if not in its ruins. (7) The excavated area corresponds almost exactly with that shown in the sketch drawing of the 1881-82 excavations (see AO/LP/65/44). It is sited at TR 2405 5724, not at TR 2401 5720 as published on the O.S. 25" 1956. Work is still in progress, but no one was available at the time of visit to offer any further information. (8) Additional bibliography. (9-28)

Geophysical resistivity survey on land south of Cedar Lodge (to the south east of the villa site). The survey results do not appear to show any structures except those that could be attributed to the action of animals. This could be due to the condition of the land. (29)

From the Register of Scheduled Monuments: The monument includes a minor Roman villa surviving as buried remains. It is situated on low-lying ground, south-east of Wingham Bridge, between a small stream and Wingham Primary School. The villa is centred on a courtyard with a bath suite on the south side, a large aisled building on the north, another building on the west and is open at the east. The bath suite has a corridor to the north with a complex of rooms to the south and east. The corridor is about 1.7m wide and orientated east-west. At the east end is what is thought to be the apodyterium, which is 1.7m wide but the original length is not known. Evidence suggests that the corridor and apodyterium may originally have been half-timbered structures with sill beams resting on chalk foundations. Running east to west, just to the south of the apodyterium, is a sequence of rooms identified as the frigidarium, tepidarium, caldarium, a furnace and a stoking-room. The walls of the frigidarium are built of yellow tiles laid in level courses on the foundations of an earlier room. The walls of the tepidarium, caldarium, furnace and stoking-room survive to 0.7m high and are built of flint and mortar faced internally with yellow tiles laid in courses. The pilae of a hypocaust, supporting a floor above, survive in the tepidarium and caldarium. Several of the rooms contain well-preserved tessellated floors with geometric designs. The furnace at the west end of the caldarium is about 1.2m by 3.5m and may originally have had a water tank above it. The stoking-room to the west is 4.9m long by 3.5m wide. To the south-east of these rooms is a cold plunge bath, which is 2.5m long by 2m wide. It is entered from the frigidarium through an opening in the north wall of the bath-room with steps which lead down to the bottom of the bath. There is a drain at the bottom in the south-west corner that runs through the west wall. The villa was partially excavated in 1881-2 and 1965-7. Several phases of building were found and the bath suite is thought to have been rebuilt at a later date, at which time the tessellated floors were also laid. Evidence was found of later Roman occupation and re-use of the building with a kiln built on the site of the hypocaust and a quern found on a tessellated pavement. The finds included Samian ware pottery and Roman coins ranging in date from the late 3rd century to mid 4th century AD. In 1999 an archaeological watching brief was carried out during works in the vicinity of the villa revealing a large Roman ditch, which may have formed part of the north-east boundary of the villa complex. The monument excludes all modern buildings, the surfaces of all modern roads and driveways, all modern fences and fence posts, gates and gate posts. However the ground beneath all these features is included. Excavations in 1881-2 revealed part of the foundations of a Roman Villa. No visible traces of Villa. Roman Villa site lies in SW corner of the Paddock. There is no visible trace of the site but one or two fragments of tile can be observed in mole hills. (30)


A watching brief on the extension to Cedar Lodge in 1999 located a collection of material from the topsoil and evidence of a large Roman ditch. In total, 21 fragments of Roman tile, ten struck flints and six Roman sherds were found from the ditch, along with four ragstone blocks. (31)

Frank Jenkins, Arch Cant 1984, 1984, Roman Villa, Wingham (Article in serial). SKE29317.

<1> OS 25" 1956 (OS Card Reference). SKE48271.

<2> Arch Cant 14 1882 134-9 illust (G Dowker) (OS Card Reference). SKE34710.

<3> Ibid 15 1883 351-7 illust (OS Card Reference). SKE44192.

<4> VCH Kent 3 1932 125 (REM Wheeler) (OS Card Reference). SKE51010.

<5> Arch Cant 74 1960 68-9 (E Greenfield) (OS Card Reference). SKE35582.

<6> F1 ASP 07-JUL-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE41983.

<7> Arch Cant 80 1965 lviii (OS Card Reference). SKE35706.

<8> F1 ASP 01-SEP-66 (OS Card Reference). SKE41879.

<9> The Antiquary 5 1882 178-9 (OS Card Reference). SKE49949.

<10> The Antiquary 4 1881 237-9 (CR Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE49944.

<11> JBAA 37 1881 449-51 (G Dowker) (OS Card Reference). SKE44949.

<12> Towns of Roman Britain 1975 192 (J Wacher) (OS Card Reference). SKE50614.

<13> JRS 56 1966 217 (OS Card Reference). SKE45129.

<14> JRS 57 1967 202 (OS Card Reference). SKE45133.

<15> JRS 58 1968 206 (OS Card Reference). SKE45137.

<16> KAR 2 1965 33-4 (LD Lyle) (OS Card Reference). SKE45253.

<17> The Roman Villa in Britain 1969 153 278 (ALF Rivett) (OS Card Reference). SKE50505.

<18> Ant 17 1943 210-12 (AG Wells) (OS Card Reference). SKE33108.

<19> Ant 18 1944 42-45 (JNL Myres) (OS Card Reference). SKE33109.

<20> Studies in the Romano British Villa 1978 110,121,190,194,195,200,201,222 (M Todd Ed) (OS Card Reference). SKE49709.

<21> BAR 70 Agricultural Buildings in Roman Britain 1979 65 142 150 153 Fig 41 (P Morris) (OS Card Reference). SKE37555.

<22> Arch Cant 81 1966 1xvi (F Jenkins) (OS Card Reference). SKE35717.

<23> Arch Cant 82 1967 1x (F Jenkins) (OS Card Reference). SKE35740.

<24> Mosaics in Roman Britain 1973 158 (A Rainey) (OS Card Reference). SKE47342.

<25> Arch of Kent 1930 264 (RF Jessup) (OS Card Reference). SKE36913.

<26> A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Pottery of the Pagan Period 12 1977 3221 202 (JNL Myres) (OS Card Reference). SKE32758.

<27> Field report for monument TR 25 NW 14 - September, 1966 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5736.

<28> GEORGE DOWKER (Collection). SKE6491.

<29> DKR Surveys, 2001, Geophysical Survey Report - Resistance for Cedar Lodge II (Unpublished document). SKE12179.

<30> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<31> Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, 1999, Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief at Cedar Lodge Wingham Kent (Unpublished document). SKE16809.

Sources and further reading

Related records

Related thematic articles

• Roman Kent (Thematic Essay)