Discovery and Display
The villa was accidentally discovered in 1864 by a gamekeeper digging for a ferret, and finding fragments of paving and pottery. The site was subsequently excavated over a two-year period by James Farrer, an antiquarian and the Member of Parliament for South Durham. The owner of the land was the Earl of Eldon, and it was he who financed the excavations, roofing for the mosaics, and the building of the mock-Tudor lodge to house the artifacts. In 1924 the villa was acquired by the National Trust. Excavations have taken place on a regular basis since then.
In 2011 construction work was carried out to provide a new cover building for the mosaics to ensure their lasting quality.
Read more about this topic: Chedworth Roman Villa
Famous quotes containing the words discovery and/or display:
“Next to the striking of fire and the discovery of the wheel, the greatest triumph of what we call civilization was the domestication of the human male.”
—Max Lerner (b. 1902)
“The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
—Bible: Hebrew, Deuteronomy 26:8.