Fishbourne Roman Palace (Chichester, United Kingdom)
Fishbourne Roman Palace was built in the 1st century AD and was adapted and extended until its destruction by fire in about 270AD when it was abandoned. It is called a palace rather than a villa because of its size; at its largest it had about 100 rooms. There is no conclusive evidence of who lived here, although it is possible it was occupied in the 1st century by Cogidubnus, a local king who gave allegiance to Rome. Organised excavations began in the early 1960s after a trench being dug for a water main uncovered a mosaic, although finds had been recorded here long before. It now has the largest collection of mosaics in situ in the UK. The north wing has been almost fully excavated and is now covered over to allow the mosaics to be visited. There is a series of rooms with mosaics at varying levels of completeness, with the best being a virtually perfect mosaic of Cupid on a dolphin. The other wings are still underground, but a Roman garden has been recreated in the areas between the buildings with traditional Roman plants and shrubs. A museum has been laid out at the entrance and displays finds from the site and models and descriptions of the building at its various stages. An audio-visual presentation is also available. There is a shop and café. The site is on one level and ramps and walkways take the visitor through the rooms, although there are one or two steps. Opening times vary throughout the year and are detailed on the website.
Contact
Salthill Road, PO19 3QR,
Telephone: +44 (1243) 785859