Monument record LMD 017 - Roman villa at Liston Lane

Roman Villa at Liston Lane.
A tessellated pavement was cut through by a sewerage trench in a field to the S of Liston Lane in 1958. Salvage recording was carried out by N Smedley for IPSMG (S1).
The pavement consisted of a central area of white limestone tesserae 7.5 feet wide, flanked on either side by 2 feet of tesserae of black bituminous limestone. A red tile, 1.5 feet in length was inserted centrally. At either end, and overlapping the black area for 10 inches, was a quarter-round moulding of red tile, and at one end a line of upright tesserae indicating a wall lined with tesserae - this may indicate that the structure was a bath rather than a room. Individual tesserae were half an inch square and 1 inch deep, set in a 3 to 4 inch thick layer of pink cement, resting on a 6 inch layer of white cement, itself resting on a 2 feet thick layer of flint, which increased to 3 feet for wall footings. In the rubble overlying the pavement was a tegula and a few red tile tesserae. Also found was an angled fragment of painted wall plaster and C1 - C2 pottery, including samian. Divided from the pavement by a more recent field ditch was a pink cement floor which ran for 10 feet northwards and continued under the modern road. A white cement floor was also found 12 feet to the S of the tessellated pavement.
The building remains lay on a raised platform visible on aerial photographs. A ditch forming the S boundary of this platform contained Belgic and C1 Roman pottery (S1).
1981: Site under pasture (S2).
1991: Site shows uneven surface under grass. Nothing remains above ground. Laid down to grass (S4).
For ring ditch within scheduled area see (S5).

2009: Topographic and magnetometry surveys were carried out within a scheduled area (county ref SF90) that includes a Roman building, as part of a training project for University of Cambridge students. Surviving earthworks probably post-date a roughly rectilinear pattern of ditches and pits that are likely to be of Roman date within the extensive small town complex. Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2009 (S6)