London: One of Britain’s biggest and most elaborate Roman villas has been unearthed by chance by a homeowner laying electric cables in his garden at Wiltshire in south-west England. The elaborate ancient home was found by a rug designer, Luke Irwin, while he was laying electricity cables under his farmhouse so that his children could play table tennis in an old barn.
He uncovered an untouched mosaic, and excavations revealed a villa described as “extraordinarily well-preserved”. Historic England, a government service championing England’s heritage, said it was “unparalleled in recent years”.
Dr David Roberts, archaeologist for Historic England, said: “This site has not been touched since its collapse 1,400 years ago and is of enormous importance. Without question, this is a hugely valuable site in terms of research, with incredible potential.
