Roman Villa · Civilian

Wick

Roman Britain
Pleiades ID: 79762
Site type
Villa
Category
Civilian
Latitude
51.4515
Longitude
-2.4116
Overview

History & context

Wick villa lies in the parish of Wick and Abson in South Gloucestershire, on the limestone uplands east of Bristol near the Roman road between Bath (Aquae Sulis) and Sea Mills (Abonae). It was one of a dense cluster of villa estates in the rural hinterland of Bath, likely occupied from the 2nd through 4th centuries AD, in the typical pattern of expansion from modest stone footings to a more elaborate establishment in the later Roman period.

Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →

Significance

Historical significance

The site forms part of the prosperous villa landscape around Aquae Sulis, whose estates supplied the spa town and its market, and benefited from proximity to both the road network and the productive Cotswold-edge agricultural land. It is not individually distinguished but contributes to the picture of intensive Romanised rural settlement in this corner of the Dobunni civitas.

Archaeology

Archaeological record

Reports from the 19th and 20th centuries record walls, tessellated and mosaic pavements, hypocaust tile, painted wall plaster, and coinage from the Wick area, indicating a bathed and decorated stone-built residence, though no modern open-area excavation has been published. Details of plan, extent, and chronology remain poorly resolved compared with better-studied neighbours such as Kingsweston or Brislington.

About this site

Questions & answers

What is Wick?

Wick villa lies in the parish of Wick and Abson in South Gloucestershire, on the limestone uplands east of Bristol near the Roman road between Bath (Aquae Sulis) and Sea Mills (Abonae). It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a villa site from the Roman period in Britain.

What type of Roman site is Wick?

Wick 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.

What other Roman sites are near Wick?

Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Romano-British settlement E of Sir Bevil Granville's Monument (2.6 km), Roman camp 405m west of The Bungalow (3.6 km), Roman Settlement at Keynsham Hams, former Cadbury's Factory (6.9 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.

How can I research the history of the area around Wick?

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