Fishbourne Roman Palace

Over het museum

Fishbourne Roman Palace was built around AD 75, about thirty years after the Roman conquest of Britain, and is the largest known Roman residential building north of the Alps. A smaller stone villa on the site had been replaced by a full palace with four wings around a formal courtyard garden. The palace had as many as 50 mosaic floors, painted walls, stucco decoration and underfloor heating. Over the following centuries it was altered several times, with new coloured mosaics laid over older black-and-white ones, until it burned down around AD 270 and was abandoned.

The site was found by accident in 1805, but its importance was not understood until 1960, when a workman digging a trench for a water main found the foundations of a large building. The Sussex Archaeological Society then began excavations in 1961, directed by the archaeologist Barry Cunliffe, and later digs found evidence of earlier activity on the site, including Iron Age pottery.

The Society built a museum over part of the excavated palace to protect the remains where they were found. It shows one wing of the palace with its mosaics, including the Cupid on a Dolphin mosaic, as well as finds from the excavations and a film theatre. Outside, the northern part of the formal garden has been recreated and planted with species from the Roman period, such as roses, lilies, rosemary and box hedges. Today the Sussex Archaeological Society, trading as Sussex Past, runs the site.

Hoogtepunten

• Largest collection of Roman mosaics in situ in the UK
• Cupid on a Dolphin mosaic in the North Wing
• Recreated Roman formal garden
• Museum with finds from the excavations and a film theatre
• Roman Army Week and other family events

Vaste collectie

• North Wing mosaics – The largest collection of mosaics in situ in the UK, including the Cupid on a Dolphin mosaic, under cover in the museum.
• Roman gardens – The recreated formal garden, based on the earliest Roman gardens found in Britain and planted with Roman species.

Beheerder

Sussex Archaeological Society (Sussex Past)

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Members of the Sussex Archaeological Society enter free. A Gift Aid ticket gives free entry for 12 months. Advance booking is not essential.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The site is generally level, with wide doors and ramped walkways to the museum, the North Wing mosaic area, the café and the film theatre. The gardens have gravel paths, but the formal garden can be seen from the colonnade along the North Wing. Seating is available in the museum and grounds. Four parking spaces are reserved for Blue Badge holders. Several accessible toilets are available, including one in the museum foyer and one by the car park that needs a RADAR key. Two loan wheelchairs can be reserved the day before a visit by phone. Assistance dogs are welcome across the site.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations

Families can use interactive exhibits, artefact handling and educational trails, and school holiday events such as Roman Army Week (26 to 30 October 2026) and Christmas at Fishbourne (5 and 6 December 2026) are held. Children under 5 enter free.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The palace is 1 1/2 miles west of Chichester, close to the A27 and A259; follow the brown tourist signs.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant: niet aanwezig

The Roman Kitchen Café is open from 08:30 to 16:30 daily with hot drinks, cakes, sandwiches and toasties. Visitors may bring a picnic to eat in the gardens.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Zakelijke evenementen
• Bruiloften / trouwceremonies

Sussex Past offers venue hire for weddings, corporate events and filming.

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