Great Western Park GeoCache Series
Before construction began at the Great Western Park (GWP) development in Didcot, a comprehensive series of archaeological investigations took place, leading to extensive excavations that aimed to preserve and document the archaeological treasures of our area.
The results of these explorations have unveiled a treasure trove of insights, including glimpses into Roman life, the discovery of Roman coins and the revelation of ancient agricultural technology from the Roman period. Not stopping there, also uncovered were Anglo-Saxon pot shards, fragments of fired clay loom weights and valuable insights into the lives of our ancestors through the analysis of animal bone remains. These findings shed light on the early history of Didcot, revealing the roots of our community and the first farmers that established themselves in the area.
To discover more about the fascinating heritage of Great Western Park, we are placing a series of GeoCaches near these archaeological sites. You may also delve into the findings through the informative information boards at waypoints, which uncover the remarkable results of these explorations.
Great Western Park #2 - The Roman Villa
In some respects the Roman Conquest of Britain in AD 43 marks a sharp break in the history of the country. As a result of trade and other connections with the Continent, the impact of the expansion of the Roman Empire had, however, been felt long before the conquest - and is marked by the appearance of the first towns in Britain, the use of coins and new styles of pottery. In other respects, however, life for many of the inhabitants of Britain may have continued with little change.
Romans and Britains: from roundhouse to villa
This may have been true at Great Western Park. Although the extensive Iron Age settlement described on Board 2b had been abandoned, the earliest evidence from the Roman period includes the remains of roundhouses, just like those which had been built in the Iron Age. It was only later, around AD 240, that a villa - a building unmistakably Roman in character - was built on the site.
A late Iron Age roundhouses (defined by a circular gully):
The Roman villa
Most of the Great Western Park villa has been preserved below Boundary Park, and only one corner was revealed during the excavations. Our knowledge of the building is, therefore, limited (and the reconstruction on this board is based upon a villa at Claydon Pike, Glos). Even these limited investigations, however, provide some interesting details of the building.
The villa probably measured about 21m long by 13m wide - a size comparable to that of other villas in Oxfordshire - and probably consisted of a row of rooms with corridors or aisles on one or both sides. The building was probably constructed of timber-framed walls standing on rubble footings, and was roofed with both ceramic and stone tiles.
There are also signs that the building was of some status. The excavated area includes the remains of a hypocaust and traces of painted plaster. A hypocaust is a system of underfloor heating in which hot air from a furnace is circulated below a floor raised up on columns made of stacked tiles. The painted plaster includes fragments in Pompeii red, cream and yellow, as well as a fragment with a splash of Pompeii red which might have been part of an image.
A permanent residence?
The villa was probably occupied for around 150 years. Unlike the Iron Age roundhouses which preceded it (which may have been occupied for only one generation), it must have been passed from generation to generation - the first permanent residence in Didcot.
Ordering the landscape
The stable occupation represented by the villa, is also reflected in the organisation of the wider landscape. The landscape had already begun to be ordered by the construction of ditched enclosures - used as stock pens and to enclose houses - at the end of the Iron Age. And in the Roman period, much more extensive systems of rectangular fields and trackways - defined by ditches - were laid out. At the time that the villa was constructed, however, a major reorganisation of the landscape took place, consolidating the fields, stock pens and trackways into a coherent plan.
Timeline:
Information sources:
https://westernvalleyparish.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/4_RomanVilla.pdf
https://westernvalleyparish.gov.uk/the-parish/parish-history/
About the Cache:
This is my second placed GeoCache so any comments and suggestions are welcome. More details can be found in my hints.
Please bring your own pen, and maybe also a tweezer to better retrieve the log paper. Please open & close the cache lid carefully and properly so the cache can survive longer. The cache is close to a busy walking path so please be safe and expect muggles nearby at any time of the day.
Please also replace exactly as found due to obvious reason, and be careful with possible stinging nettles! You do not need to cross any fence or enter any private land.
Thank you and enjoy GeoCaching!
FTF: Congratulations to look-sharp for the FTF on 9 June 2025!
