Caption: No. 1: An exquisite floor mosaic from Wellow near Aquas Sulis [Bath] in Somerset County, examined in the year 1737 and engraved on copperplate by the Society of Antiquaries of London in the year 1738. Scale in [English] Feet.

An engraving of the first of three large Roman mosaics at a villa at Wellow, first recorded in John Aubrey's Monumenta Britannica, who reported it was first discovered in the manor of Edward Hungerford, knight of the Bath, in 1683. Aubrey's partial account of the mosaic was taken from William Holder's copy of the draft made by the surveyor Hugh May on site. Aubrey's version was then poorly copied and reprinted in Thomas Gale's 1709 Antonini Iter Britanniarum. Aubrey's drawing showed a central scene with figures and a side panel with a cantharus flanked by multiple birds. Based on similarities between Aubrey's drawing and Orphic mosaics at Littlecote, Woodchester, and Withington, the scene may have depicted a scene from the myths about Orpheus.

Edmund Prideaux, two friends, and their servants visited in June 1737 and were allowed to dig at the site, finding the rest of the mosaic under about 2 feet of dirt. Prideaux or James West then had James Vertue draw it and James's brother George then engraved it at the expense of the SAL. Local interest in the discovery was great, with the land's owners making about ₤50 from visitors. The mosaic and another nearby were reported already "quite destroyed" by a visitor writing 20 October 1737. It may have been already destroyed by the time of the Vertue's drawing, as Aubrey's figures and multiple birds have been replaced by a single peacock and geometric patterns within a guilloche frame. It was further damaged by an antiquarian visitor in 1787. Colonel Leigh excavated the site again in 1807, when it was owned by Col. Gore Langton. Richard Colt Hoare noted "I was present at the uncovering of this fine mosaic pavement, and saw with astonishment an engraving made from it, at the point of its first discovery, which differed so totally from the original, that I could almost fancy it had been done from memory", although Leigh's annotated drawing of the mosaic largely matches Vertue's.

The SAL debated whether the mosaics were from a villa or military encampment prior to the discovery of the villa's ruins during an 1822 excavation by John Skinner. About 40 villas have been discovered in the area around Bath, most either country homes or the estates of the spa's upper class rather than self-sufficient agricultural concerns.

Roman SiteVisit

Withington Roman Villa

📷 Photo by James Vertue, artistGeorge Vertue (1684–1756), engraver · Public Domain · Wikimedia Commons

This Roman villa estate sits on land shaped by more than 1,600 years of history.

When Romans occupied Britain, this was a substantial property where wealthy residents managed a working agricultural operation spread across the rolling Cotswolds landscape. You can get a sense of how life functioned here then—a large house with various outbuildings, all part of a complex managing land and resources across the region.

Located just outside Compton Abdale, the site offers a quiet spot to contemplate the past. Most of what remains lies buried now, so there aren't extensive standing structures to explore, but the historical significance of the place comes through as you walk the grounds. You'll feel the connection to the ancient world and understand the mark Romans left on this part of England.

For a fuller picture of daily life at the villa and in the broader region, Cirencester and Cheltenham both have museums with artifacts and displays related to Roman settlement in the area. Those collections will help you piece together what this villa and others like it represented during the Roman occupation of Britain. The museums are worth visiting alongside a trip here to really grasp the scale and importance of Roman activity across the Cotswolds.