Snettisham Park is rich in archaeology possessing the site of a Roman Villa, a Saxon settlement, the site of St Thomas’ Chapel, one of seven watermills mentioned in the Doomsday book; and much more...

Artists impression of Roman Villa

The Roman Villa, which would have been occupied by the Romans between 200 and 400AD, one of seven in this part of West Norfolk alongside the Icknield Way, was partially uncovered and surveyed in 1923 by Mr Sheringham, the farmer at Park Farm at that time. It was a very large structure containing it’s own bath house with a colourful mosaic floor, part of which was uncovered in 1972 when we were fencing near the site. An excellent interpretation board is situated alongside the Villa by the public footpath on Snettisham Park. The fields around the Villa site have been put down to grassland in recent years with financial assistance from DEFRA, first under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and now the Higher Level Scheme, thus preventing any damage to the site from arable cultivations. Much evidence of the Roman occupation has been found in the adjacent fields in the form of pottery and the mass of oyster shells, oysters being a favourite part of the Roman diet.

The Saxons arrived after the Romans, and settled here between 400 and 600AD. Their settlement was just to the north of the River Ingol alongside St Thomas’ Lane and again evidence of their existence has been identified from the pottery and other finds in the area known as Warner’s Wood.

The Water Mill was situated just to the North of Ingol and to the East of St Thomas’ Lane in the main Deer Park. The Lade pond, fed by springs which very rarely run dry, is situated at the top of the Park alongside the Permissive Footpath and the Lade which supplied the mill runs down to the earthworks on the site. A most descriptive interpretation panel can be found on the Permissive Footpath on the West side of St Thomas’ Lane.

St Thomas’ Chapel, probably named after St Thomas a’ Becket, as indeed were most of the churches and chapels built in his time, is alongside the lade pond and the remains of the foundations can be seen nearby, including a wall alongside the pond.
He was assassinated in Canterbury Cathedral on December 29th 1170, so around that time the chapel would have been in use.

Other features, found by English Heritage in their field walking survey of Park Farm in 1989, include a large burial mound to the east of St Thomas’ Lane, and a further two settlements, possibly tenants of the main villa. An excellent 2.5 mile Archaeological Trail, a free leaflet of which is available for visitors to Snettisham Park, and starting by the Visitor Centre leads around the farm and identifies all the above points of interest.