Monday, 22 August 2016

Lufton villa thriller!

Chris & Pam went to see his old digger mate James, now working at Newcastle University, digging with his students at Lufton, just outside Yeovil.

Dr James Gerrard, Newcastle University

They are re-digging a villa site first looked at by teachers and pupils of a local school in the 1960s. Here is what it would have looked like:
 As you can see it has an octagonal bath house. Only four are known in the UK. Unfortunately the mosaics mentioned in the '60s are gone, but the walls are substantial.

This is the front wall.
This is the back wall.

This villa was so rich it had its own water pipes, whereas other villas had wells. Considering that they have only had four weeks to dig the site they have done marvels.


The 5m square test trench has proved very fruitful. Ditch features and Early Medieval dating evidence has been produced and the evidence sug...