Bancroft Roman Villa - Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK
Posted by: 
Dragontree
N 52° 03.320 W 000° 47.690
30U E 651190 N 5769487
These excavated ruins are part of a Roman Villa now on display to the public.
Waymark Code: WM5MM9
Location: Southern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/22/2009
Views: 10
The MK Parks Trust website describes the site:
'In 1967, fragments of Roman pottery were found in the bank of Loughton Brook. Four years later, the Roman site was pinpointed under an extensive scatter of Roman tile, pottery and other material on the ploughed surface of the adjacent field
Archaeological excavations during 1973-78 showed the site to be a Roman villa, consisting of a house with mosaic pavements and a bath suite, a kitchen garden/orchard, a summer house and several farm buildings.
In 1981, a second Roman site was discovered on the nearby hilltop in Blue Bridge, This was a mausoleum (burial monument) and cemetery, overlying earlier Bronze Age and Iron Age farming settlements. Further excavations on the villa site during 1983-85 revealed an earlier house underneath the one found in the 1970's and also a farm manager's house, more farm buildings, two more walled gardens and a trackway through the site.
The ancient monument at Bancroft is the most interesting Roman site in Milton Keynes and the mosaics from the 4th century house (one of which is on permanent display in Queens Court in the Shopping Building) are some of the best pavements found in the country. It was therefore decided, as part MKDS's policy of conserving and interpreting archaeological sites, to reconstruct a Roman garden and the foundations of the 4th Century house.'
There are three information boards and well-surfaced pathways to the villa site.
Most Relevant Historical Period: Roman Kingdom < 509 B.C.
Opening days/times:
Anytime
Web Site: [Web Link]
Condition: Some remaining traces (ruins) or pieces
Admission Fee: Not listed
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