Crofton Roman Villa
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Crofton Roman Villa in Orpington, Kent, England, is a Roman villa inhabited from about AD 140 to 400. It was the centre of a farming estate of about 500 acres, with farm buildings nearby, surrounded by fields, meadows and woods. The house was altered several times during its 260 years of occupation and at its largest probably had at least 20 rooms.
The remains of ten rooms can be seen today. Two rooms contain the remains of their opus signinum concrete floors, and three have evidence of tessellated (tiled) floors. Details of the under-floor central heating hypocaust can be seen, which features both channelled and pillared systems. Small artifacts can also be seen.
The site is adjacent to Orpington railway station, and is not far from Lullingstone Roman Villa, near Eynsford, Kent.
[edit] Discovery
The site was discovered in 1926, when workmen preparing a driveway for some new council offices unearthed some Roman artifacts. Preliminary archaelogical investigations at that time established the existence of the villa, but the site was not fully investigated until 1988, when further work was carried out by the Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit (KARU). Details of their findings were published in appropriate journals. The site is protected within a modern covering building.
