Which large Roman villa in West Sussex was accidentally discovered by Aubrey Barrett, an engineer for the Portsmouth Water Company, while laying a pipe across a field?
Bignor Roman Villa Bignor Roman Villa Bignor Roman Villa is a large Roman courtyard villa which has been excavated and put on public display on the Bignor estate in the English county of West Sussex. It is well known for its high quality mosaic floors, which are some of the most complete and intricate in the country. The villa is situated just north of the South Downs close to Stane Street, about 9 miles north-east of Chichester (the Roman city of "Noviomagus Reginorum") and the nearby and much larger Fishbourne Roman Palace. It is on the south-facing slope of a ridge of greensand
Fishbourne Roman Palace of the original black and white mosaics were overlaid with more sophisticated coloured work, including the perfectly preserved dolphin mosaic in the north wing. More alterations were in progress when the palace burnt down in around 270, after which it was abandoned. Although local people had known of the existence of Roman remains in the area, it was not until 1960 that the archaeologist Barry Cunliffe first systematically excavated the site, which had been accidentally uncovered by Aubrey Barrett, an engineer working for Portsmouth Water Company who was laying a new water main across a field. The Roman villa excavated