Villa Rustica (Lockleys)
In the Villa Rustica from Lockleys is the remains of a Roman estate . The remains were discovered in 1930 and fully excavated in 1937. Lockleys is the name of a modern day estate just north of Welwyn Garden City .
Already at the beginning of the first century BC BC (before Britain became Roman) there was a round hut here, about 4 m in diameter. This hut was replaced by another building in the first century, but it has completely disappeared and was only recognizable by a thick layer of humus during the excavations. There were broken pieces and fibulae . This house probably dates to the middle of the first century. A first stone building was erected around 60/70 AD. This consisted of three large rooms with two smaller ones in the north. There was a wooden porch to the west. Around 150 AD the building was greatly expanded. The veranda was built in stone and the villa was given two corner risers on the west side . This house was in operation until about AD 300 when it was destroyed by fire. The house remained idle for a while after that, and the place likely served as a quarry. Around 335, however, a new villa was built at the south end of the old house, which was not based on the existing structures, but used their building materials. The house was roughly square, but a complete plan has not been preserved. This construction was abandoned around 360.
The Villa Rustica of Dicket Mead is located nearby.
literature
- Ward Perkinks: The Roman Villa at Lockleys, Welwyn , in Antiquaries Journal, XVIII , 9 (1938), pp. 339-376
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 49 ′ 50.5 ″ N , 0 ° 12 ′ 18.7 ″ W.