We visit one of Bristol's best kept hidden gems - a Roman villa hidden among an estate

2024-07-08 327

Located in Lawrence Weston, Kings Weston Roman Villa is one of Bristol's best-kept hidden gems.

The villa, which was built around 1700 years ago, was discovered by university student George Boon in 1947 during the construction of Lawrence Weston's housing estate.

It's believed to have been occupied for around 100 years before it was abandoned and left to collapse and is Bristol's only surviving Roman villa.

George Boon alongside his school friend, John Clevedon Brow, led the excavations of the site on behalf of Bristol Museum and the Ministry of Works between 1948 and 1950.

He later led a successful campaign to save the villa, and the houses originally planned for the site were set back from the road and the villa was preserved in situ for all to enjoy.