Roman BritainWingham
Roman Villa · Civilian

Wingham

Roman Britain
Pleiades ID: 79765
Site type
Villa
Category
Civilian
Latitude
51.2734
Longitude
1.2151
Overview

History & context

Wingham was a Romano-British villa situated in the fertile arable country of east Kent, roughly midway between Canterbury (Durovernum Cantiacorum) and the Richborough/Sandwich coastal complex. Occupation appears to span the later 1st to 4th centuries AD, with the site developing from earlier timber structures into a masonry-built villa typical of the prosperous Kentish countryside serving the Canterbury hinterland.

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

Significance

Historical significance

The villa lies within one of the densest concentrations of Roman rural settlement in Britain, exploiting the productive soils of east Kent and likely supplying grain and other produce to Canterbury and the Saxon Shore ports. Its position on or near the road from Canterbury to Richborough placed it within a well-connected economic landscape oriented toward cross-Channel trade.

Archaeology

Archaeological record

Antiquarian and 20th-century investigations at Wingham recorded walls, tessellated pavements, painted wall plaster and roofing tile indicative of a substantial, well-appointed building, together with the usual ceramic and coin assemblage of a long-lived villa. However, no full modern excavation has been published, and the plan and full extent of the establishment remain imperfectly understood.

About this site

Questions & answers

What is Wingham?

Wingham was a Romano-British villa situated in the fertile arable country of east Kent, roughly midway between Canterbury (Durovernum Cantiacorum) and the Richborough/Sandwich coastal complex. 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 Wingham?

Wingham 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 Wingham?

Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Wingham Roman villa, 100m south of Glendale Cottage (0.5 km), Roman amphitheater at Richborough (8 km), Rutupiae (8.5 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 Wingham?

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