Chedworth Roman Villa

(Catching up on backblips from last week)
Tuesday 5 August
While thinking of something to do, I had the idea of revisiting Chedworth Roman Villa near Cheltenham, in the hands of the National Trust. I remember visiting it with Janet and Stuart donkeys years ago, I think when their children were young. I had hoped that Janet would come with us, thinking there shouldn’t be too much walking involved, but unfortunately she said she’d just potter around at home.
The remains are of one of the grandest Roman villas in Britain, as evidenced by some of the most impressive in-situ Roman mosaics in the country, as well as hypocaust systems and bath-houses.
The villa was discovered by chance by a gamekeeper in 1864. One summer in 1864 was all it took for James Farrer, an archaeologist and uncle to the third Lord Eldon, to uncover Chedworth Roman Villa. Having gathered a team of estate workers, Farrer felled the wood and revealed the walls and mosaic floors of one of Britain's largest remaining Roman villas.
After the 1864 excavations, some mosaics were left for visitors to view but the rest were re-buried. The outline of the villa was reconstructed by placing nearby stone on top of surviving walls. At the same time, a Victorian lodge was built in the centre, which remains today, and houses a few of the artifacts. They had several volunteers located around the site, eager to answer any questions you had, and supply you with more information. When we were finished there, we had lunch in their cafe, and then drove to the very picturesque Cotswold villages of Lower and Upper Slaughter, parking in Upper Slaughter, and walking the footpath to Lower Slaughter. For those wondering about the dark-sounding names, the name 'slaughter' might make it sound like the village has a dark history, but it's actually just a mispronunciation of the Old English word 'slothre,' which means muddy or miry place, and came about due to the River Eye which flows through both Upper and Lower Slaughter. I’ve added an extra collage from these two villages.