Scheduled Monument: LULLINGSTONE ROMAN VILLA AND SAXON CHURCH (1007463)
Authority | |
---|---|
Date assigned | 09 October 1981 |
Date last amended | 10 August 1994 |
Description
The monument includes a Roman villa and later Saxon church situated on an east facing slope on the west bank of the River Darent; the villa is one of at least five located along a 9km stretch of the river. The villa complex comprises the foundations and other buried remains of the main dwelling house, aligned north-south and facing east towards the river, a separate kitchen, a mausoleum and a circular building further west, as well as a granary with other associated agricultural remains. The main building is situated on a terrace cut into the slope of the valley, located c.50m west of the river, and measures 32m north-south by 20m east-west. It survives as visible foundations, floors and walls, which were left uncovered after excavation so that they could be displayed to the public,
as well as other below ground features which remain buried. The building includes heated rooms, a cellar, verandahs, kitchens, baths, a dining room and audience chamber (both with mosaic floors), bedrooms and store rooms. To the rear of the main villa building are the remains of a separate kitchen, 9m east-west by 6.5m wide, dated to the early second century AD. This too is constructed on a terrace cut into the hillside. Six metres to the north are the remains of the mausoleum. Constructed in the early fourth century on a terrace 6m above the main house it became incorporated into Lullingstone church in the Late Saxon period. This is no longer upstanding and has previously been recorded as "the remains of the lost church of St John the Baptist, Lullingstone". Ten metres further north are the foundations of a circular building, c.5m in diameter, the purpose of which is presently unclear. Between the villa and the river the remains of a courtyard are believed to survive. On the north side of this the foundations of a large granary building have been excavated which measure 24.4m east-west by 10.7m north-south. The villa was discovered in 1939 although the presence of a Roman building in
the vicinity had been suspected since the late 18th century. Excavations began in 1949 which revealed the various phases of construction and history of the building. Originally built in c.AD 75 from timber-and-daub it was rebuilt in the second century using flint and tile and although it underwent constant change it retained a winged corridor plan. This comprised a rectangular range of rooms, aligned north-south, fronted on the east side by an open verandah
which to the north and south led into large rooms projecting forward from the verandah wall. Between AD 200 and AD 275 there was serious decay to the villa which led the excavator to conclude that the house may have been abandoned. Coins and pottery recovered from the villa, however, do not indicate a break of occupation, only that the buildings suffered neglect. It was at this time that the kitchen was converted to use as a tannery. At the end of the third century the north side of the villa was remodelled and in the mid fourth century the large apsed dining room was built and mosaic laid. In about AD 360 the north rooms were converted into a Christian chapel while occupation continued until the fifth century when a serious fire gutted much of the house. The villa was abandoned in about AD 420.
Excluded from the scheduling are the cover building, toilets, signs, wooden seats, bins, fences, gates, tarmac road surface and carpark surface although the ground beneath all these features is included.
External Links (0)
Sources (1)
- SKE16191 Scheduling record: English Heritage. Register of Scheduled Monuments.
Location
Grid reference | Centred TQ 5301 6507 (127m by 102m) |
---|---|
Map sheet | TQ56NW |
County | KENT |
Civil Parish | EYNSFORD, SEVENOAKS, KENT |
District | SEVENOAKS, KENT |
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Record last edited
Apr 8 2011 11:02AM