One of my first fieldwork opportunities was assisting with mosaic conservation at Chedworth Roman Villa, where my love of mosaics first began! Our job was to stabilize any loose tesserae (the stone tiles) using minimally invasive and reversible techniques, allowing them to be studied and displayed for visitors. 📸 by me
We used a durable acrylic resin and strips of geotextile to secure and stabilize loose tiles. This approach allows water and moisture to naturally drain from the tesserae (a process that is hindered when concrete is used) and is easily reversible, in case better techniques come along in the future.
These mosaics were originally excavated in 1864, as part of a Roman-era villa that also contained dining rooms, bedrooms, baths, underfloor heating, and possibly a tower. At the time of the original excavation, the mosaics in the east and west bathhouses were restored and the tesserae (the stone cubes used in mosaics) were set in concrete. And the mosaics in the corridor of the villa were re-buried, but records of their existence remained and in 2010 they were re-excavated. After stabilization, we covered the mosaics with cloth and sand, to protect them during the construction of a visitors' pavilion.
They are now displayed in the same condition they were excavated in so that visitors can appreciate their patterns while also seeing what 1500+ years have done- some tesserae are out of place, one mosaic has Victorian-era post-holes dug through it, and in several instances the ground has begun to undulate under the mosaics, causing them to buckle. You can learn more about the mosaics, and life in Roman Britain here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/gloucestershire-cotswolds/chedworth-roman-villa
I love following news about the site, including this discovery that some of the Roman-style mosaics here were laid in 5th century CE, later than originally expected, given that this post-dates the fragmentation of the Western Roman empire! https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-67947045
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