20th August 2010. En route to somewhere, we called in at Chedworth Roman Villa on a dull and drizzly day. This is the spring, the Nymphaeum as they call it. Although the flow seems modest, it never dries up. The water comes in from the top left, along the original Roman stone ducting. Many ‘coins in the fountain’!

Most of the walls are from the Roman period, but have been capped in order to prevent erosion by rain & frost. This view looks down the valley. The building on the right – not Roman! – was originally a hunting lodge, and became the residence of the warden. The site was discovered in 1864. It is now a museum of finds from the site. The structure at the left protects floor mosaics.

At this time, some of the mosaics are being inspected – I think they were recorded long ago, and covered up to protect them. After some conservation, I expect they will again be covered up. They are long & narrow, so probably were the floor of an important corridor in the house?

Another shot of Roman walls, roofed to protect them. All of this was originally below ground level, of course, after being abandoned for many centuries. The site was developed from the early second century to the fourth century. (Wikipedia).

A view into one of the main rooms, with a good deal of its mosaic floor still in place. Presumably the large channels at the back are part of the under-floor central heating the Romans – or at least their Romanised British clients – used. It must have been excellent to have a nice warm floor to walk about on in winter! I think this is the room that had the four seasons depicted – up at that damaged far end.

This is the best-known of them: the spirit of winter. One notable feature is the woollen cloak with hood. The spirit has a hare in his right hand, and a tree branch in his left. Food and warmth were especially important in these northern reaches of the Roman Empire!

 

Page completed 30th October 2010. Winter is coming!

N.B. My ‘Winter is Coming!’ above was written on 30th October 2010, thus well predating the famous ‘Game of Thrones’. Indeed, I swear to it by the Old Gods and the New Gods…