Roman villa discovered in Britain is found on Sir Ranulph Fienne estate

A metal detectorist has discovered the largest Roman villas in Britain- and it’s almost as big as Buckingham Palace.  

The historic foundations, which date back to 99AD, were found on land belonging to the family of British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes on their estate near Banbury, Oxfordshire.

A four month project dug up a wealth of incredible artifacts including coffins, Roman coins, bone china and an enormous boar tusk,in a dig led by historian Keith Wescott.

Historian Keith Westcott (pictured) 55, led a team to discover the largest Roman villa in Britian

Local farmer John Taylor had first noticed the foundations after he had ploughed into what he thought was a large stone with his tractor in 1963. 

He reached his hand inside a hole in the stone- to find human bones in what turned out to be a sarcophagus that belonged to a high-status Roman-British woman.

Mr Wescott, 55, Director of the Association of Metal Detectorists, said he was ‘fascinated’ by this story of the thousand-year-old burial site and decided to visit in 2016.

He said: ‘I knew she was there for a reason. Who was this woman of such importance? I started to feel a connection to this person, believing her to have been “lost” from a contextual landscape.

A local farmer John Taylor had first noticed the foundations after he had ploughed into what he thought was a large stone with his tractor in 1963

A local farmer John Taylor had first noticed the foundations after he had ploughed into what he thought was a large stone with his tractor in 1963

‘So on 31 October 31, 2016 I went out armed only with a theory, convinced she lay in context to a home befitting her status.

After just 20 minutes Mr Wescott discovered the villa by finding a 1,800-year-old tile that would have used for central heating used by the Romans. 

A team of archaeologists descended on the site in April to dig trenches found 178 historical items. 

The villa’s accommodation includes a bath-house with a domed roof, mosaics, a grand dining room, kitchens and living accommodation. 

Mr Wescott said: ‘It is truly a remarkable find…the possibilities of what we might find are endless.’

Four month project dug up a wealth of incredible artifacts including coffins, Roman coins, bone china and an enormous boar tusk

Four month project dug up a wealth of incredible artifacts including coffins, Roman coins, bone china and an enormous boar tusk

More than £2 million is being thrown at the project to discover the plot the fully.

Sir Fiennes, who helped take part in the original dig, wants to do a full excavation of the whole site.

He said: ‘If no one wants to do it, then it stays happily undisturbed for anther 50 or 100 years until someone comes up with the money or interest.’      

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