Lullingstone Roman Villa

Lullingstone Roman Villa is located in Kent, close to the River Darent. The villa was discovered in 1939. Excavations began in 1949 and lasted until 1961. Today the remains of the villa are covered by a modern building to protect them against bad weather, and the site is a museum which is open to the public.

This ancient Roman villa is the subject of a guidebook written by Michael Fulford and published by English Heritage. The book is divided into two parts:

** Part one – “A Tour of the Villa” – is divided into fourteen short sections. Each section presents a room or a part of the villa.

** Part two – “The History of the Villa” – is divided into eight short sections. Archaeologists have identified four phases in the development of the villa, starting with the early villa (AD 75-150) and ending with the Christian villa (AD 350-425).

The text is illustrated by numerous maps, drawings, and photos. All illustrations are in colour, except a few old photos which are in black-and-white. All illustrations are helpful and instructive; in particular some reconstruction drawings which show us what the villa (probably) looked like in antiquity. Two of these drawings give a partial view of the exterior and the interior at the same time; some of the walls are cut away, so you can look inside some of the rooms (pp. 6 and 26).

One of the most striking features of the villa is a huge floor mosaic which covered the dining room as well as the audience chamber. The mosaic is shown several times in the book:

** On page 15 we have a total view of the mosaic. The caption to the picture says:

 

“The magnificent mosaics that adorned the main reception rooms of the house. They depict mythological scenes, with roundels of the seasons, and elaborate geometric borders.”

** On page 28 we have the mosaic in the dining room (a semi-circle). The caption to the picture says:

 

“The abduction of the princess Europe by Jupiter disguised as a bull is shown in the mosaic in the apsed dining room.”

** On page 31 we have the mosaic in the audience chamber (a square). The caption to the picture says:

 

“The mosaic of Bellerophon slaying the Chimera may be a Christian allegory of the triumph of good over evil.”

The ancient villa is also famous because there is some evidence of the early Christian religion in Britain. The evidence is presented in text and illustrations. The illustration on page 10 shows six Christian men who are praying. The caption explains:

“This image of six early Christians praying is a modern reconstruction of the wall painting from the west wall of the house church, or chapel. It has been painstakingly pieced together from the fragments of painted plaster which had fallen into the cult room below.”

Lullingstone Roman Villa is an interesting place. It is worth a visit. The guidebook about the site – written by Michael Fulford and published by English Heritage - is excellent. Read it before you go. It will help you understand and appreciate what you see. Bring it with you, when you go. The maps will help you navigate the site.

PS. Other Roman villas in England are also worth a visit, for instance Bignor Roman Villa in West Sussex and Chedworth Roman Villa in the Cotswolds.

 

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Michael Fulford,

Lullingstone Roman Villa,

English Heritage, London, 2003, 32 pages

 

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A new edition of the guidebook for Lullingstone, written by Pete Wilson,

was published by English Heritage in 2009. Here is the cover:

 

 

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