Deep beneath the soil of a quiet Kentish town, a secret history lay hidden for centuries. Tantalising scraps of evidence had previously suggested a Roman Villa once lay here, clinging to the luscious hillside, now a delightful suburban residential sprawl.
We were here on a specific quest, an attempt to unearth evidence for this long-forgotten Roman Villa. The site in question was exposed several times during the 19th century and had been recorded on early edition Ordnance Survey maps. If it existed, it lay around 200m north of the river Medway, an area now covered by Victorian terrace houses and gardens.
There are five other Villa sites known in the Maidstone area. These include Eccles Villa, Mount Villa, East Farleigh Villa, Teston and East Barming with further important structures in the surrounding Kent countryside. It is believed the abundance of these luxurious economical centres was due to the importance of Kentish Ragstone quarrying, producing essential materials for the creation of Roman buildings, possibly even the stone of Roman London.
At the site we were set to investigate, foundations were uncovered in 1893, along with a nearby Romano-British cemetery. Excavations in 2004 unearthed plunge pools lined with opus signinum floors and tesserae, an apsidal room and multiple drainage systems. In 2008 a metalled surface was also discovered as well as evidence of building materials. All this suggested a Villa lay somewhere nearby.
These Villas are often found to have a bathhouse attached to the structure. Hypocaust systems have been discovered during many of the excavations at these local sites.
We were part of a unique team on the excavation, drawn from all corners of the archaeological community, with specialists and excavators working alongside dedicated documentary teams to record the experience. Most importantly, we worked closely with the wonderful populations of this quiet Kent borough, the families who lived and worked and spent their lives just meters above these ancient treasures.
What an experience this was, beyond the archaeology itself, which proved a huge hit with all the residents of the area, we gained so much meeting these wonderful people whose gardens we systematically destroyed in the name of historical interest!
A close community of friendly and fantastic families kept us smiling throughout the three-day duration of the excavations. As we pushed for progress, desperately keen to discover the truth beneath the earth, they heroically led the way, excavating alongside us and keeping up our spirits with stories of the locality and characters through the years.
Every evening we gathered at the local pub, to wind down and enjoy reliving the day’s events and discoveries. More and more of the community connected with us, gleefully narrating their own stories of discovery and local historical knowledge. It was certainly the most satisfying aspect of the experience.
We reached the end of the project, exhausted but elated. It would have been wonderful to have spent more time on these excavations, but alas our commitments elsewhere meant for us, this was the end for now.
With fond farewells, we waved goodbye to this corner of Roman Kent and made for home.
Did we find what we set out to discover?.... You will have to see for yourselves...