Roman Barry
Cold Knap was once a Roman port and near the shore there are the remains of a late 3rd century AD Roman 'mansio' (a guesthouse for travellers), with 22 small rooms arranged around an open courtyard.
The Roman Empire invaded Britain in AD 43. At this time the people living in Britain were divided into a number of tribes, effectively small independent kingdoms. The Romans first arrived in the south east of England, fighting hostile tribes but also making alliances with friendly ones. The Silures, who inhabited south east Wales, were violently opposed to the Romans, and defended their land from AD 49 until the Romans completed their occupation by AD 75.
The later years of Roman rule in Britain were rather chaotic. A Roman named Carausius was appointed in AD 287 to deal with raiders in the English Channel. Ironically, he would only attack them after they had completed their raids so he could steal the bounty for himself. His successes saw Carausius declare himself Emperor but his reign was short-lived and he was murdered in AD 293 by his finance minister, Allectus, who assumed control over Britain. He was defeated just three years later by Constantius Chlorus, the ruler of the north western provinces of the Roman Empire. The few coins found at the Cold Knap site were dated to these tumultuous times, suggesting it was in use during this period.
The Vale of Glamorgan was then a moderately prosperous area. The Romans were noted road builders, carefully surveying the straightest routes and constructing their new roads to last, unlike the simple earth tracks that had existed up until then. The A48, the main road through the Vale of Glamorgan, is a fine example of a Roman road. It ran between the forts at Cardiff and Loughor, passing through St Nicholas, Bonvilston and then Cowbridge. Many farms in the Vale have made their own archaeological discoveries; unearthing coins, Roman jewellery, and even weapons carried by the invaders. Over the years several Roman villas have also been discovered in the area.
Traditionally the local Welsh tribes had lived in circular timber farmhouses. The Romans introduced more substantial stone houses and from the beginning of the second century AD the Welsh began to build similar homesteads. Often these new homes provided some Roman-style amenities with the wealthier residents living in villas with central heating, bath suites, wall plaster and mosaics. Many people could not afford such luxuries, but from our discoveries it looks like the use of Roman styles of pottery, and jewellery became more widespread. Their pottery, known as ‘red slip ware’, was covered with a glossy red slip but could also be black, and would have been used at this site.
The building on this site dates back to the end of the 3rd century or the very beginning of the 4th century. From the excavations of the collapsed walls, archaeologists suggest that building work at the site had been abandoned before it was fully completed.
This was an expensively constructed building with walls of local Lias limestone and a roof of ceramic tiles. It would have stood out in the Vale, where sandstone slates were commonly used. The sides of the main doorway were made with alternating courses of limestone and tile. During the excavation chips of fine white limestone were found, suggesting that the building may have been embellished with carved stone. There were two entrances, one from the terrace through Room Q and the other through Room G opposite. The entrance led into a courtyard surrounded by a verandah or corridor which led onto a series of rooms.
Although the walls did not survive high enough to show where the doorways were, we can still distinguish the room sizes. The fact that the building was not finished makes it more difficult for the archaeologists to understand what it may have been used for. It does not seem to have been a villa as it was not provided with a central heating system, which would have been normal at this date.
There was a basement (O) under the room in the south corner. Once again it is difficult to ascertain what this feature may have been used for. The basement did not survive but historians believe you would have entered it from outside the building. Another room of similar size (V) was discovered when the south-west wing of the nearby modern building was constructed. This may have been part of the same building or it could have been a separate structure. A small tower was one possibility, which would have provided great views out to sea.
One theory that historians have suggested is that what you are looking at is possibly an official guest house for users of the imperial post system. Roman boats would have needed to make frequent stops to wait for suitable conditions when travelling the Bristol Channel with its very high tidal range.