The construction of a new local supermarket has been delayed in an English town after the site was revealed to have already been occupied by an ancient Roman villa and public baths, with a well-preserved mosaic floor with “colors vibrant colors and intricate decorative patterns”.
During preparations for a new Aldi branch, according to the BBCa team of archaeologists excavated the site on Warrington Road in Olney, Buckinghamshire as part of an exploration commissioned by the developers at Angle Property due to the area’s proximity to another Roman site.
“Due to the location of the site, we had anticipated notable Roman remains, but the discovery of this fantastic mosaic far exceeded those expectations,” John Boothroyd, senior project manager at Oxford Archaeology, said in a statement. “To be able to preserve remains of this quality and significance is a brilliant achievement.”
His team described the mosaic discovered as being in good condition with particularly well-preserved red, white and blue tiles around the edges. Mosaic expert David Neal has speculated that the design may be the work of the Durobrivan Group, a school from the East Midlands.
After consultation with Milton Keynes City Council and Historic England, it was decided that the work would be retained for the future in situ. Construction of the proposed Aldi will therefore continue with special protective material placed over the mosaic to prevent further damage. The findings will also be recorded and possibly published, Angle Property promised.
Other stone structures discovered a short distance from the mosaic are thought to be cisterns used for collecting water, indicating the presence of a public bath nearby. The old complex is believed to extend further below the already built-up areas of Warrington Road, which the team was unable to fully investigate.
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