Brading Roman Villa

Brading Roman Villa is the remains of a Roman house and farm, dating to at least the mid 2nd century. Five of the twelve ground floor rooms contain original Roman mosaics. Also on the site are a nymphaeum (Roman water feature), agricultural buildings and a replica Roman garden.

The Villa

The remains of the villa are undercover within the  Exhibition and Visitor Centre. The house consisted of twelve rooms on the ground floor, all of which survive, with some of the walls standing over one metre high. The function of each of the rooms is not certain. The largest room in the house with its mosaic floor may have been used for special occasions and to entertain guests. There is no evidence of a kitchen inside the house - food may have been prepared outside to reduce the risk of fire. Artefacts found within the house, such as Samian pottery, jewellery and games suggest that the occupants had a high standard of living.

The Mosaics

Five of the rooms in the main villa house have mosaics, depicting scenes of Roman fables and characters, and reflect the wealth and education of the occupants. Room 9 has a mosaic of a geometric pattern in the shape of a lozenge. Room 6 is the corridor of the house and consists of a red and white chequered floor with a central panel depicting the mythical character Orpheus. Room 3 has a mosaic with various images including Bacchus (Roman God of Wine), a cock-headed man, gladiators and a dome-shaped building. Room 12 contains the largest mosaic - it is divided into two parts and contains images of Roman gods, goddesses, Medusa and scenes reflecting farming and the sea.

Farm buildings

There were a range of buildings on each side of the main villa house. The north range was a farmhouse probably lived in by the workers. Here you can see the remains of a hypocaust (underfloor heating) and a well. The south range consisted of agricultural buildings such as a granary and storerooms now marked out in chalk on the ground.

Garden

There is no evidence of a formal garden on this site in Roman times. However, a water feature called a nymphaeum which was situated outside the villa house is now undercover in the Exhibition Centre. There is a reconstructed Roman garden in the grounds with a variety of plants, herbs and flowers which may have been grown in Roman times.

Details on the history of this villa can be found on their website by clicking here,

Location: Brading Roman Villa, Isle of Wight Grid Reference:  SZ600861 Ceremonial County: Hampshire Map Link: multimap Aerial photo: multimap Getting there: On the A3055 just south of Brading Take the A3055 from Ryde to Sandown. A mile after leaving Brading turn right 300 metres past the traffic lights into Morton Old Road, then follow the signs to Brading Roman Villa. There is free parking on site. See here for details on other means of reaching this location. Access: Website:  Own Other Useful Websites: Wiki, Email: info@bradingromanvilla.org.uk Address: Morton Old Road, Brading, Isle of Wight Postcode: PO36 0EN Telephone: 01983 406223 Opening Times: 9:30am to 5:00pm Charges: Adult £6.50,Children and Students £3,Senior £4.95; Family (2 + up to 3 children) £18.50. Event days may be more. Car parking free. Nearby Locations: Other Location Pages: Notes:

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