City centre Roman mosaic to go on display

An historic Roman mosaic floor discovered on a site earmarked for development in Leicester city centre is to go on public display for all to see.

The intricate tiled floor – believed to be from a substantial 4th Century Roman townhouse – was discovered during excavations near All Saints Church in Vaughan Way.

The three metre by two metre mosaic is one of the largest examples of a Roman floor discovered in Leicester in more than 30 years. Now it is to go on display in the nearby Jewry Wall Museum in St Nicholas Circle. The museum is closing for a major refurbishment and the mosaic is undergoing conservation work ready to be displayed in the re-opened museum.

It was discovered, along with other extensive Roman remains, by members of University of Leicester Archaeological Services – the same award-winning team which discovered the remains of Richard III underneath a car park on the site of the former Greyfriars Friary.

The team also found evidence of three other Roman buildings and a Roman street on the site, which is due to be developed as apartments, amenities and retail space by Leicester developer Sowden Group. Some of the remains go back to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD.

Sowden funded the archaeological dig by ULAS, as well as the mosaic’s removal and conservation. The archaeological trenches have now been covered over in consultation with site architects to ensure they remain intact.

Sowden owner and managing director Roy Coley said he was delighted the mosaic would be on display for Leicester people to see.

“This is an important part of Leicester’s history which everyone will be able to see. It has been excavated and removed with enormous care by the University of Leicester team who are putting Leicester on the map in terms of Roman remains,” he said.

Mathew Morris, site director for ULAS, said, “The mosaic is fantastic. It’s been a long time since we’ve found a large, well-preserved mosaic in Leicester. Stylistically, we believe it dates to the early fourth century AD. It has a thick border of red tiles surrounding a central square of grey tiles. Picked out in red in the grey square are several decorations, including a geometric border, foliage and a central cross. The intricate geometric border follows a pattern known as ‘swastika-meander’, a common geometrical motif in Roman mosaics.”