Lullingstone Roman Villa

Lullingstone Roman Villa
The enclosed interior of Lullingstone Villa
Location within Kent
General information
Architectural style	Romano-British Villa
Location	Lullingstone grid reference TQ53016508
Country	United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°21′50″N 0°11′47″E / 51.3640°N 0.1964°E / 51.3640; 0.1964Coordinates: 51°21′50″N 0°11′47″E / 51.3640°N 0.1964°E / 51.3640; 0.1964
Construction started	1st century
Demolished	5th century

Lullingstone Roman Villa is a villa built during the Roman occupation of Britain, situated near the village of Eynsford in Kent, south eastern England. Constructed in the 1st century, perhaps around A. D. 80-90, the house was repeatedly expanded and occupied until it was destroyed by fire in the 5th century. The occupants were wealthy Romans or native Britons who had adopted Roman customs.

Some evidence found on site suggests that about A. D. 150, the villa was considerably enlarged and may have been used as the country retreat of the governors of the Roman province of Britannia. Two sculpted marble busts found in the cellar may be those of Pertinax, governor in 185-186, and his father-in-law, Publius Helvius Successus.

In the Saxon period, the ruins of a Roman temple-mausoleum on the site of the villa were incorporated into a Christian chapel (Lullingstane Chapel) that was extant at the time of the Norman Conquest, one of the earliest known chapels in the country.

The villa is located in the Darent Valley, along with six others, including those at Crofton, Crayford and Dartford.

The earliest stage of the villa was built around 82 AD. It was situated in an area near to several other villas, and was close to Watling Street, a Roman road by which travellers could move to and from Londinium to Durobrivae, Durovernum Cantiacorum, and the major Roman port of Rutupiæ (i.e., London, Rochester, Canterbury, and Richborough, respectively).