Talk – Who actually discovered Brading Roman Villa

From swede field to tourist site: Brading Roman Villa 1879-1889

Who actually discovered Brading Roman Villa , farmer Munns or Captain Thorp? Why did two teams excavate it? What prompted the disagreements between Thorp and virtually everyone else? Was Brading the second Roman Villa to be discovered on the Island? How was the Villa interpreted in the early days? And did Queen Victoria really make a visit?


Many stories have gathered around Brading Roman Villa since the first mosaic was unearthed in
1880 and in this new talk we attempt to sift the grain from the chaff. We will reflect on Brading in 1880 and the land where the Villa was found, review the dramatis personal involved in the discovery and subsequent excavations, and explore the controversies surrounding Brading Roman Villas first ten years as a visitor attraction. On the way we will consider what archaeology was like in the 1880s and what we might have seen had the Villa been discovered today.

Join Pat Barber on Saturday the 24th of January

Time 2.00 to 3pm

Price £8.50

Brading Roman Villa

You may also like the following events from The Brading Roman Villa:

• This Thursday, 11th December, 10:00 am, Monthly Natter at the Villa in Ventnor
• This Thursday, 11th December, 10:30 am, Join Lucy Bell for a Christmas Sketching Workshop in Ventnor
• Happening on, 7th February, 02:00 pm, How to Plot a Murder – Talk with Dr Angela Buckley in Ventnor