Eccles Roman Villa

About

At Eccles in Kent the remains of a huge Roman Villa with palatial dimensions were excavated between 1962 and 1976. In the second century AD, the villa was almost 112 m long. Over 135 different rooms have been identified throughout the various periods of construction and reconstruction.

The villa was abandoned in the Fourth century, and much of it was removed in the Thirteenth century for the construction of Aylesford Priory. The villa lies on the east side of the Medway Valley. Roman remains were already known from the Nineteenth century on.

During the course of excavation, some human burials of Roman date were found deposited beneath the villa floors. Further finds included fragments of Roman pottery and coins. A large post-Roman cemetery was discovered adjacent to the south-east wing of the villa.

There were also some remains of a pre-Roman, Iron Age settlement. The earliest Roman villa dates from about 65 A.D. and consisted of a long row of at least 12 rooms, a porticus, and probably a second story.

Five of these rooms might once have contained floors with mosaics. In front of the house was a long ornamental pool. The building was of high status, as stone buildings were otherwise...