Nunnery Mead
Nature reserve in Dorset, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nunnery Mead is a nature reserve of the Dorset Wildlife Trust, near Frampton and about 2 miles south-east of Maiden Newton, in Dorset, England. It is a former water-meadow, next to the River Frome. The reserve also contains the site of a Roman villa.
| Nunnery Mead | |
|---|---|
  Location within Dorset | |
| OS grid | SY 615 954 |
| Coordinates | 50°45′25″N 2°32′50″W |
| Area | 6 hectares (15 acres) |
| Operator | Dorset Wildlife Trust |
| Website | www |
Description
There is no allocated parking; visitors may walk here from nearby villages.[1]
The area of the site is 6 hectares (15 acres). Most of this is a former water meadow, that floods seasonally. Birds to be found here include the song thrush all year, and the snipe in winter. The River Frome is on the northern boundary of the reserve; alongside the river is a strip of woodland, containing several tree species including ash and alder.[1]
Roman villa
The Roman villa was discovered in 1796 and excavated by Samuel Lysons. The elaborately designed tesselated pavements revealed were inspected by George III in 1797.[2][3] It was thought to have been destroyed in the mid-19th century, but was rediscovered in 2019 by archaeologists from Bournemouth University. Miles Russell, from the university, said: ".... the results, finding well-preserved walls and areas of surviving mosaic, were truly exceptional" – it was an "exciting and nationally important site."[4] The site of the villa is protected as a scheduled monument.[2]
Further reading
- Manley, Harry; Cheetham, Paul; Stewart, Dave; Russell, Miles (2024). "A Source of Confusion: New Archaeological Evidence for the Dorchester Aqueduct". Britannia. 55: 83–97. doi:10.1017/S0068113X24000254.
- Russell, Miles; Stewart, Dave; Cheetham, Paul; Manley, Harry (2022). "Artistic Lysons? New work on the 'lost' mosaics of Frampton Roman villa, Dorset" (PDF). Mosaic (49): 19–31.
- Sparey-Green, C. (1995). "The "Frampton Villa", Maiden Newton: A Note on the Monument and Its Context". Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. 116: 133–135.