Summary
A small rectangular building, with steeply-pitched Cotswold tile roof (with a west-east axis) abutting the C19th house to the south. The building houses and displays collection of artefacts from the site excavations and is significant because it is possibly the earliest example of purpose-built site museum on a Roman villa site.
Identification Images (2)
Monument Types
- MUSEUM (Mid 19th C to Early 21st century - 1865 AD to 2007 AD (throughout))
Description
A small rectangular building, with steeply-pitched Cotswold tile roof (with a west-east axis) abutting the C19th house to the south. The building is single storey, but lower part is stone built, with upper parts half-timbered with wooden frame infilled with brick and rendered.
The building houses and displays collection of artefacts from the site excavations and is significant because it is possibly the earliest example of purpose-built site museum on a Roman villa site.[SNA62028]
Internally there is a single rectangular room, with large arched door on west side with windows on the east, north and west sides. The east and west walls rise to pointed gables, and have an additional round window above the lower windows. All the windows are original. The south wall is blank, and adjoins the house. Internal décors based on paint scrapes of original scheme
The floor is made of black and red ceramic tiles, and have a large letter "E" formed in the centre (standing for Eldon, as Earl of Eldon responsible for building museum). Two electric convector heaters are fixed to the walls at east and west ends, with humidistat sensors also fixed to the walls. There is no ceiling, and the inside of the roof is boarded with wooden planks (not original). Four modern lights are suspended from the roof beams.
The museum contains two original wooden display cases with hinged glass tops along the south and west walls [SNA62028].
An essay by Jess Ahmon, undertaken as part of the UCL summer schools at Chedworth Roman Villa in 2004, explores the issues of conservation of the museum as an integral part of the Victorian development of the site while providing a controlled environment for the storage and display of finds from the villa that meets modern expectations of artefact conservation. The study indicates that the current layout (with the obvious exception of the reconstruction model) is likely to date from the 1950s when the museum was re-organised by the Ashmoleon [SNA62070].
Little is known of the museum's original layout, or indeed who selected and numbered the objects, although Irvine suggests it could have been Farrer himself. Buckman's 1872 catalogue.
References
- SNA62028 - National Trust Report: Atkins Heritage. 2007. Chedworth Roman Villa Conservation Management Plan Gazetteer.
- SNA62037 - Unpublished document: Eric Cole and Partners. 1979. A letter to the National Trust detailing the minutes of a meeting regarding work on the new visitor centre at Chedworth.
- SNA62070 - Unpublished document: Ahmon, J. 2004. Problems and Compromise at Chedworth Roman Villa Museum.
- SNA62080 - Unpublished document: St George, Ina. 2003. Museum Room Report, Chedworth Roman Villa.
- SNA62095 - Unpublished document: Irvine, N. 1979?. Chedworth Roman Villa, the Museum.
Other Statuses and References
- HER/SMR Reference (External): 547
Associated Events
- ENA104 - Field Survey, Museum - Artefact Condition Survey, Chedworth Roman Villa (Ref: INT 34)
- ENA133 - Non Archaeological Intervention, Museum - Artefact conservation, Chedworth Roman Villa (Ref: INT 53)
- ENA4085 - Non Archaeological Intervention, Re-display of the Museum, Chedworth Roman Villa
- ENA4089 - Non Archaeological Intervention, Alterations to the Museum in 1925, Chedworth Roman Villa
- ENA4092 - Non Archaeological Intervention, Internal redecoration of the Museum, Chedworth Roman Villa
- ENA4094 - Non Archaeological Intervention, Replacement of the Museum roof 1935, Chedworth Roman Villa
- ENA4096 - Non Archaeological Intervention, Redisplay of the Museum (new show case), Chedworth Roman Villa
- ENA4097 - Non Archaeological Intervention, Redisplay of the Museum (new show case), Chedworth Roman Villa
- ENA4103 - Non Archaeological Intervention, Heating installed in the site Museum, Chedworth Roman Villa
- ENA4104 - Non Archaeological Intervention, Replacement of the 'rainwater goods' associated with the museum, Chedworth Roman Villa
- ENA4117 - Non Archaeological Intervention, Refurbishment of the museum, Chedworth Roman Villa
- ENA4119 - Non Archaeological Intervention, Installation of blinds in the museum, Chedworth Roman Villa
- ENA4124 - Non Archaeological Intervention, Finds re-storage at the museum, Chedworth Roman Villa
- ENA4132 - Non Archaeological Intervention, External refurbishment of the site museum, Chedworth Roman Villa
- ENA62 - Non Archaeological Intervention, Building of Site Museum, Chedworth Roman Villa (Ref: INT3)
Associated Finds
None Recorded