The Oglander Roman Trust is a registered charity established to preserve and protect Brading Roman Villa
About Brading Roman Villa
A unique insight into our Roman past
The Oglander Roman Trust (Charity No: 1044506) was established in 1994 to preserve, protect and improve for the public benefit Brading Roman Villa and the Trust's comprehensive collection.
As you walk through the exhibition hall within our award-winning Exhibition and Visitor Centre it is perhaps easy to forget a small Isle of Wight charity operates such a fantastic heritage site.
The capital fundraising project for the Exhibition and Visitor Centre was one of the largest undertaken by a charity on the Isle of Wight. Not only was our award-winning centre constructed on time and within budget, but in terms of opening access of a heritage site for the enjoyment, education and interest of all who visit, we exceeded - and indeed continue to exceed - all expectations.
The Trust operates all the facilities you experience in the Centre. In visiting the Forum Cafe for morning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea, purchasing your gifts in our shop or using our facilities for your conference you are supporting the Trust’s charitable objectives. To put this in context the sale of 2000 cups of coffee meet the restoration and cleaning costs for a small Roman bowl.
During the past year your support has enabled us to enhance our educational programme with new activities and commence a comprehensive project with regard to the ongoing conservation of our collection. During the next three years the demands placed upon the charity will continue to rise as we commence fundraising for Phase Two of the Centre’s development and continue to develop our visitor and education services. [These are expanded upon in how you can help us section.]
Brading Roman Villa is undoubtedly an asset for the Isle of Wight and the United Kingdom. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, the staff team and our volunteers we would like to thank you for your continuing support and look forward to welcoming you.
What you can find at Brading Roman Villa
The Villa
The remains of the villa are undercover in our award-winning Exhibition and Visitor Centre. The house consisted of twelve rooms on the ground floor, all of which survive, with some of the walls standing over one metre high. The function of each of the rooms is not certain. The largest room in the house with its beautiful mosaic floor may have been used for special occasions and to entertain guests. There is no evidence of a kitchen inside the house - food may have been prepared outside to reduce the risk of fire. Artefacts found within the house, such as Samian pottery, jewellery and games suggest that the occupants had a high standard of living.
The Mosaics
Five of the rooms in the main villa house have mosaics, depicting scenes of Roman fables and characters, and reflect the wealth and education of the occupants. Room 9 has a mosaic of a geometric pattern in the shape of a lozenge. Room 6 is the corridor of the house and consists of a red and white chequered floor with a central panel depicting the mythical character Orpheus. Room 3 has a mosaic with various images including Bacchus (Roman God of Wine), a cock-headed man, gladiators and a dome-shaped building. Room twelve contains the largest mosaic - it is divided into two parts and contains images of Roman gods, goddesses, Medusa and scenes reflecting farming and the sea.
Farm buildings
There were a range of buildings on each side of the main villa house. The north range was a farmhouse probably lived in by the workers. Here you can see the remains of a hypocaust (underfloor heating) and a well. The south range consisted of agricultural buildings such as a granary and storerooms now marked out in chalk on the ground.
Garden
There is no evidence of a formal garden on this site in Roman times. However, a water feature called a nymphaeum which was situated outside the villa house is now undercover in the Exhibition Centre. There is a reconstructed Roman garden in the grounds with a variety of plants, herbs and flowers which may have been grown in Roman times.
Learning about Roman life in Britain
As a heritage charity education is at the core of our objectives. Brading Roman Villa is a valuable opportunity for schools, colleges and universities to fully experience Roman life in Britain. We seek to accommodate and educate all levels of student, from Key Stage 1 to Postgraduate level. We offer a range of services and facilities for schools which support the National Curriculum - see our education page for more details.