Brading Roman Villa

About

Brading Roman Villa preserves the remains of a remarkable Roman villa discovered at Brading in the 1880s. The inhabitants of the villa had farmed on the fertile soils beneath the chalk ridge that runs east - west to form the spine of the Isle of Wight.

There had been continuous settlement around Brading since before the Roman conquest of Britain in the first century AD.

Mosaics
Brading was furnished with exceptionally fine mosaics during the fourth century. The craftsmen who laid the floors in the West Range probably worked from pattern books using materials that were sourced from the Island itself.

Cafe 
The Forum Café offers a range of homemade cakes, including gluten free and vegan options. We have freshly made scones which are available individually, or as part of a Clotted Cream or Savoury Tea.

Our lunch menu offers a selection of jacket potatoes, sandwiches, baguettes or panini. We have homemade soup daily and our macaroni cheese is always on the menu. We offer a daily special.

We are open to everyone in addition to our museum visitors. If visiting as a group of 8 or more we recommend calling us to make a table reservation. 01983 406223

Nature Trail - Explore the landscape 
We have a Nature Trail around the perimeter of the Brading Roman Villa. The trail takes advantage of our wonderful location. You will see outstanding views at the information points. Follow the trail and explore the countryside, the local wildlife, wild flowers and grasses. The nature trail has been open to benefit the whole community and visitors to this important location.

Over the main school holidays we have the Nature Trail Word Search for £2 and we have an Explorer Bag to help you discover clues about the wonderful landscape outside then claim a prize at the end.

Remember to look all around you when you're on the trail too. Notice the differences in the landscape, you can see chalk which is the remains of millions of small animal shells which lived in the sea. Flint is also made from shells of dead organisms 

Events 
As we are open all year round we have events every month, which you can find on our website 

* June -  IW Biosphere Festival. 
* July - Festival of Archaeology.
* August - Living History Days and Family Teddy Bears Picnic.
* September - Sketching  Art Classes.
* October - Apple Day Fun Day.
* November - Dark Skies.
* December - Christmas Wreath Making sessions and Christmas Craft Fayre. 

Accessibility
Brading Roman Villa is housed in a modern building that is designed for safe and easy access for people of all ages and mobility. The whole site and café are accessible by wheelchair and there is one available for use from the front desk. There are three dedicated disabled spaces in the main car park.

From the car park there is a smooth pavement that rises slightly on a gradient to the front door 40m from the car park. There are electric doors to gain entry to the front of the building.