After a year in the making, hundreds of volunteer hours, and over 10,000 authentic Roman tesserae (mosaic tiles), our formal Roman garden is finally open — and we couldn’t be more delighted!

Today marked the official opening ceremony, and we had the distinct pleasure of hosting a very special guest to officiate. His Royal Highness Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, has a keen interest in architecture and historic buildings, so we were delighted that he joined us to officially open our new Roman garden.

20 years in the making…

The opening of the new garden couldn’t have been more perfect — the villa itself opened 20 years ago this October, so what better way to celebrate than giving it the formal entranceway it deserves?

It’s also a great example of how our work at Butser is never done. In the 20 years since the villa was completed (the first to be built in the UK for over 1000 years!), it’s seen numerous renovations and redesigns as archaeologists’ understanding of Romano-British villas and aesthetics have changed. The biggest renovation was in 2018, which is also when we laid our very first mosaic — amazing to think that in just a few short years we’ve gone from no mosaics to three!

A Roman country garden

The new Roman garden has quickly become one of our favourite places at Butser — and we hope if you visit you’ll see why! It beautifully represents the types of garden features and plants found in Romano-Britain. We go into it more in our video on Butser Plus, but it’s filled with 65 varieties of plants either indigenous to Britain or introduced by the Romans themselves. At the centre lies a stunning mosaic made of over 10,000 authentic Roman tesserae (tiles), rescued in a dig from under the M4 and generously donated to us for this project.

In fact, none of this would have been possible if it weren’t for the kindness and generosity of our supporters. This garden was entirely funded in memory of Joan Rundle, a long-time Butser volunteer and Friend of the Farm with a special interest in Roman gardens and their plants. May her legacy long stand at Butser and be enjoyed by thousands of people in the years to come.

a royal opening

What better way to celebrate the completion of this special project than with a special opening ceremony? We were honoured to be joined by the Duke of Gloucester, and gifted him a replica bronze axehead crafted on-site to say thank you. After a guided tour of our ancient buildings, the Duke saw demonstrations of timber framing and metal-smelting in action, and even met some enthusiastic students on their school trip! Finally, the Duke officially opened the garden and mosaic to an audience of the original villa build team, mosaic and garden volunteers, and local dignitaries.

We’re incredibly proud of the work we do at Butser, and the things our dedicated little team can achieve, so it means a lot to us to have this kind of support and recognition from a royal visit. The last time we were visited by a royal was in the 70’s, when the queen herself visited Queen Elizabeth Country Park and Butser Ancient Farm, and met our founder Peter Reynolds!

The growth of Butser

Everything we do at Butser is a labour of love, and this garden is such a perfect example. But gosh, it’s so worth it. Just a few months ago, the area outside the Roman villa was just a patch of grass — what a difference some time and love can make!

In many ways, the growth of the villa reflects the growth of Butser itself. Our director Simon was a member of the original villa build team — and, as he says, it ‘hooked’ him on Butser. We’re all so proud of how much this little site has grown in the last 20 years, from a small research site barely open to visitors to a thriving centre that hosts over 60,000 visitors annually, all eager to learn about our rich past. The research is still at the heart of what we do — but now, we share it with more people than ever before.

So… What’s next?

You know us, we never sit still for long. We’re already working on our next big project: a Stone Age roundhouse that would have looked out over a wood henge! We’re so grateful for the incredible support that allows us to keep experimenting, keep learning, and keep sharing our work with as many people as we do. We hope you love the Roman garden — and what comes next — as much as we do!

Want to help us keep experimenting, and join us on the journey? Support at Butser Plus for the price of a coffee, and get documentaries and updates on our latest projects!