Bignor Roman Villa

Bignor Roman Villa is located in West Susssex, not far from Arundel and Chichester. It was discovered by accident in July 1811, and only three years later (October 1814) the site was turned into a private museum with public access. Since then, the remains of the villa have been covered by several modern buildings to protect them against bad weather.

This ancient Roman villa is the subject of a short, but excellent guidebook published by the Bignor Museum. For some reason the date of publication is not mentioned anywhere. Perhaps it was published around 1995.

In a foreword, Thomas R. Tupper explains how the villa was discovered by one of his ancestors in 1811. The villa is still owned by his family, and by now it has been open to the public for almost two hundred years. About 35,000 people from all over the world visit the villa every year.

The guidebook is written and illustrated by Fred Aldsworth of Chichester. The main text (20 pages) is divided into four parts:

(1) The location of the Villa

(2) Excavations of the Villa

(3) The History of the Villa, which is divided into three phases

(4) A Tour of the Villa, which is divided into several short sections:

** The Ganymede Room

** Geometric mosaics (in room # 6)

** Venus and the Gladiators (in room # 3)

** Winter (a mosaic)

** Dolphin and Signature (a mosaic)

** Four Seasons (a mosaic)

** The North Corridor

** Building Materials

** The Baths

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. Here are two examples:

(a) A beautiful reconstruction painting of the fourth-century villa seen from the air (made by Neil Holland) appears on pp. 10-11.

(b) An elegant drawing of the Venus room (made by Richard Smirke in 1812) is placed on the front cover of the guidebook.

At the end of the book there is a list of references (further reading) as well as some practical information about the site and how to get there.

Since 2009 the villa has an official website on the internet where you can find information about current events at the site.

Bignor Roman Villa is an interesting place. It is worth a visit. The guidebook about the site – written by Fred Aldsworth and published by the Bignor Museum - is short, but excellent. Read it before you go. It will help you understand and appreciate what you see. Bring it with you, when you go. It will help you navigate the site, while you are there.

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

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 Fred Aldsworth, 
Bignor Roman Villa,
The official guide book, published ca. 1995, 20 pages

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