News / Lawrence Weston
‘Assessment ongoing’ after car crashes into Roman remains
Temporary fencing surrounds Bristol’s best preserved Roman remains following a driver crashing their car into the site.
On Tuesday morning, a Mini became embedded within a wooden building that protects some of the features at Kings Weston Roman Villa.
Museum officers from Bristol City Council are working with Historic England following the crash and say that “an assessment of the impact on the structure is ongoing”.
is needed now More than ever
A car crashed into Kings Weston Roman Villa in the early hours of Tuesday morning – photo: Martin Booth
Incongruously marooned in the middle of a post-war housing estate, Kings Weston Roman villa was once the home of a wealthy Roman family.
The villa on Long Cross – which features the only Roman bath suite in Bristol and original mosaic floors – was discovered during the construction of the Lawrence Weston estate in 1947.
It can now be accessed by borrowing a key from nearby Blaise Castle Museum during opening hours.
Kings Weston Roman Villa is a Scheduled Ancient Monument with the site consisting of a grass-covered area with low stone walls – photo: Martin Booth
A spokesperson from Bristol City Council said: “Museum officers working with Historic England have supervised securing the site following the incident.
“An assessment of the impact on the structure is ongoing. The incident remains subject to a police investigation which the council will support as required.”
A plaque on the site says the villa was built and occupied between AD 270 and AD 370 – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Martin Booth
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