On the 22nd July, 1968, Mr. Byrne and Mrs. Griffiths arranged a trip to Fishbourne for the first year boys and we set off at 9.15 a.m. to arrive at our destination at about 12.20 p.m. In the museum there were various exhibits of the Roman period from Fishbourne. Quite a few exhibits have been found in Chichester harbour, for instance, a Roman legionary's helmet. A spearhead was found in the backbone of a British Warrior and that is also in the museum.

In April 1960 a workman digging a trench for a water-main sliced across a piece of Roman Mosaic at Fishbourne near Chichester in Sussex.

The workman reported his find to the local archaeology committee. The site was for a housing development scheme.

The Roman remains were found to cover a great area but at the end of the 1965 season the work seemed to be coming to an end, until part of a Roman garden was found and this meant two more years work.

It was found that the Roman Palace was built in the late first century in about 75 A.D.

The Palace covered at least 6 acres and was constructed in the form of a hollow square consisting of four wings containing a garden. The wings all had a special purpose. The West Wing was reached from the garden by steps leading to a terrace on which the wing was built, this served as a main house and audience chamber. The North Wing was built as private suites for visitors, The East Wing was composed of a number of architectural elements in the middle of which was an entrance hall through which all visitors had to pass. The South Wing now lies mainly beneath the modern main road and, therefore, not much excavation has been possible.

In the South lay the old house and its bath suite now converted for the use of the owner. The building was one of the biggest in Western Europe. The decoration of the building consisted of mosaics, murals, coloured tiles and other colourful paintings. The outside of the building was just as formal and elegant with hedges and rows of shrubs lining the pathways and fountains placed at intervals to enliven the view.

We may never know for certain to whom the Palace belonged but it must have been a wealthy person who knew and loved Roman life.

It may have been a local king, Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus who supported Rome at the time of the invasion and who was rewarded by being made a senator. The Palace began to change in character in the late first century and it is about this time that Cogidubnus is believed to have died. The courtyard in the East Wing was turned into a bath suite. A lot of drastic changes to the Palace then occurred but the standard of living remained the same.

The end came in the late third century, the Palace was destroyed by fire in 280 A.D. either by accident or by the hordes of raiders who raided and attacked the coast at this time.

The site was never to be inhabited again.

We had a very enjoyable day looking around the site at mosaics and other articles of interest and arrived back at the school at just about 6.30 p.m.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Griffiths and Mr. Byrne for taking us on the trip to Fishbourne.

S. Parker 2F
A. Sutherland 2F

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