At over 120ft long at its longest point and with an attractive covered porch and even a bathhouse, this is no ordinary farmhouse.
But then this was farming, Roman style, almost 2,000 years ago.
The remains of the massive villa were discovered by archaeologists investigating what lay in the ground on a route destined to have power cables laid, bringing energy from offshore wind farms to the National Grid.
Experts pored over ancient maps, archaeological records and other sources to check for the likelihood of forgotten buildings in the area, near Dereham in Norfolk, but weren’t expecting anything on the site.
Yet tests using magnetometry – a geophysical survey technique that maps archaeological features by detecting subtle variations in the Earth’s magnetic field – suggested something was beneath the soil.
Jessica Lowther, of Headland Archaeology, who excavated the site, said: ‘There was obviously something important under there because they kept finding lots of roof tiles.
‘Using ground penetrating radar they found that this was actually the site of a Roman villa.
The massive villa was unearthed during excavations near Dereham in Norfolk
‘It’s a large estate with lots of ancillary buildings. There were remains of a Roman road and also a bathhouse.
‘There’s a lot of evidence for growing and processing food, so we think it was quite a large farming estate.
‘There were bones of cats and dogs, which suggests they had those animals to help keep down pests.’
Those involved in excavating what’s left of the villa’s stone walls believe it was built in phases between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD.
Items unearthed at the dig included a brooch, copper alloy hair pins, nail cleaners and a military belt mount and an inscribed silver ring with graffiti on it.
There were also two bronze objects – one in the shape of a lion’s head and foot, which would have formed the bottom of a chair, and the other an ornate handle in the shape of an unidentified creature.
The latter has been nicknamed the ‘Norfolk Nessie’ because of its similarity to the fabled monster said to dwell in Loch Ness.
Detailed photographs, drawings and digital surveys were taken of the villa before it was reinterred.
Among the finds at the site was an ornate handle in the shape of an unidentified creature, dubbed the ‘Norfolk Nessie’ because of its similarity to the fabled monster said to dwell in Loch Ness
The walls of the ancient farmhouse were clearly visible once the earth was removed
Surveys revealed something was lurking beneath the ground
The 40-miles of power cables for energy firm RWE’s Vanguard West, East and Boreas wind farms will be buried between the villages of Happisburgh and Necton.
Other finds on the route have included an early Neolithic pit from as early as 4000BC and a Neolithic barrow mound where people’s remains were placed.
There were also ancient stone tools, such as scrapers for cleaning and preparing animal skins, as well as Bronze and Iron Age pottery and a coin dating from the time of the Iceni, when Boudicea famously led her doomed revolt against the Romans invaders in AD60 or 61.
Archaeologists also believe they found the remains of two medieval villages, called Whimpwell and Stinton.
Jon Darling, RWE project director for Vanguard West and East, said: ‘The archaeological campaign has revealed a remarkable story about how this landscape has changed over time, from prehistoric activity through to a Roman villa estate and beyond.’