Fishbourne, 1961–4

Abstract

Fishbourne lieswithin the present-day boundaries of the City of Chichester, about one mile west of the City Cross. The village, situated at the head of the now-silted Chichester harbour, has long been recognized to lie above a Roman site, for finds of Roman material are plentiful. In 1805 a black-and-white mosaic, 13½ ft. wide, was discovered during road widening, by 1869 the remains of a bath and pavement had come to light nearby, and the local inhabitants say that in 1936 children digging in a garden uncovered a further black-and-white mosaic. These discoveries are now thought to belong to one large masonry building, but other finds scattered widely about the village suggest that Roman occupation covered an extensive area around the harbour end of the site.