History of Art pupils visited The Newt for a Roman Villa experience with a chance to uncover the past...

On Thursday 13^th October, our History of Art cohort visited The Newt country estate as part of their investigation into Classical Art and a chance to delve further into Roman Britain.

During the afternoon, the weather almost felt Mediterranean as we basked in glorious sunshine, with the impressive vineyard greeting us upon arrival. We set aside two hours to immerse ourselves and get into the spirit of Roman Britain dating back to (AD 43-C. 410). We began our tour at the contemporary glass fronted museum, armed with headsets and an audio guided tour. The foundations for the original Roman Villa were discovered when labourers, working on the Hobhouse Estate at the time, found them on the Southwest side. The recorded evidence of Roman artefacts included coins from the reign of Emperor Constantius II’s AD337 - 61 and the remains of a Roman building.

Our Art Historians were able to interact with a range of Roman art, sculpture, painting, mosaics, and pottery. Including Roman daily life, religion, power, and politics. The next step of the journey led us to the reconstruction of an authentic Roman Villa dating back to 351AD.

We had a chance to reimagine the lives of a Romano-British household, with an insight into the former inhabitants, from the head of the family to the lower work force, in a hierarchical society of the time. The frescos uncovered included depictions of Diana, the Roman Goddess of animals and hunting, and Bacchus the God of Wine in the dining room, gave a lasting impression, reinforcing the wealth of the inhabitants. A highlight included the virtual reality headsets which enabled us to experience a day in the life of the Romans. The archaeological process has left no stone unturned, and this is truly a magnificent gem right here on our doorstep.

Pupils will be recording their personal highlights and identifying key works by designing their own exhibition brochure guide based around their studies on Roman Britain. To compliment this, they will be creating their own mosaic tiles in their lessons.

George Cole - Art Teacher

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