Gadebridge Roman Villa, alternatively known as Gadebridge Park Roman Villa, is a ruined Roman villa in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England.
A chance discovery in 1962, it was excavated in 1963-68 under the direction of David S. Neal. A second excavation took place in 2000, also under the direction of Dr Neal.
The site may have begun as a pre Roman farm, but after the Roman invasion of AD 43 its proximity to the Roman city of Verulamium seems to have precipitated its development into a sort of spa and resort. From the Antonine Period, c. 138 AD, stone buildings were added, and around 300 AD a large swimming pool, the biggest in Roman Britain after the one at Bath were built.
The site may have been leveled around AD 350 possibly because of its owner's support for the usurper emperor Magnentius. It returned to agricultural use and was used for cattle pens.
The villa is situated in Gadebridge Park. Since the excavations the site has been scheduled and is under grassland. The outline of the building was marked over the grass in 2025.
Gadebridge Roman Villa Dacorum Heritage Trust, Accessed March 2012
Neal, David S. (1974). The excavation of the Roman villa in Gadebridge Park, Hemel Hempstead, 1963-8 (Reports of the Research Committee of the Society of Antiquaries of London, 31)
Yaxley, Susan; others (1981) . History of Hemel Hempstead. Amplion Press: Hemel Hempstead Local History and Records Society. ISBN 0-9502743-0-5.
Discover how Dacorum's largest Roman villa evolved 'Our Dacorum', Herts Memories Network. Accessed March 2012
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
Gadebridge Roman Villa, alternatively known as Gadebridge Park Roman Villa, is a ruined Roman villa in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. A chance discovery in 1962, it was excavated in 1963-68 under the direction of David S. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a villa site from the Roman period in Britain.
Gadebridge is classified as a Roman villa — a civilian site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including High Street Green Roman barrow (2.2 km), Boxmoor (3.1 km), Romano-Celtic temple complex at Wood Lane End, 280m SW of Woodwells Farm (3.3 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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This page covers the Roman site at Gadebridge. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this site alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:
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