Bignor Roman Villa was discovered by George Tupper, a farmer in 1811 when his plough hit a large stone. The discovery led to the site being excavated by John Hawkins who lived in the nearby Bignor Park, and Samuel Lysons. The site, still owned by the Tupper family opened to the public in 1814.
The villa is situated just north of the South Downs close to Stane Street, about nine miles northeast of Chichester (the Roman city of Noviomagus Reginorum) and the nearby and much larger Fishbourne Roman Palace.[1] It is on the south-facing slope of a ridge of greensand which provided better conditions for agriculture than the nearby chalk; this fact and its proximity to Roman Chichester meant that the owners were able to become wealthy from farming.[1]
The existence of a Romano-British farmstead on the site by the end of the 1st century is indicated by finds,[1] but the earliest structural remains are of a simple timber farm structure dating to around 190 AD.[2] A four-roomed stone building was built in the middle of the 3rd century AD, and this was extended between c.240 and 290 AD by the addition of a few new rooms, a hypocaust, and a portico that faced east towards Stane Street. *
This building became the western wing when north and south wings were added at the turn of the fourth century.[2] In its final form, the villa consisted of some sixty-five rooms surrounding a courtyard, with a number of outlying farm buildings.[2] The latest phase of building involved additions to the north wing between c.300 and 350 AD, and it is here that most of the fine mosaics are located.
The later history of the villa is not well known, but it appears to have gradually declined in status,[2] rather than suffering a catastrophic fate, such as the fire that destroyed most of Fishbourne Palace.*
* Information from Wikipedia
I knew about Fishbourne (been there ) But not Bignor.
Although they both have mosaics Bignor is quite different and well worth a visit.
There are some lovely mosaics there and they look quite well preserved too.
They are well preserved
Oh I missed this one while I was staying in Chichester.
We missed this when we stayed in Chichester because we had visited Fishbourne instead.
loved learning how a farmer ’s plough led to awesome discovery dear Cheri !
loved the site and how nicely it is looked after
the mosaics are captivating
I bet it was a big surprise for him