248 The Roman Villa at Box. 
The pavement was the most ornamental of any discovered, 
the tesserze were of unusually small size in chocolate, blue, white, 
buff, and red. The pattern being prepared for a square chamber 
had been enlarged north and south by engrailed borders ornamented 
with tulips. The border was of large cream tesserz having blue 
and red keys alternated. 
There was no hypocaust beneath and it may have formed a 
vestibule to the two rooms on either side of it. 
The pavement was opened in 1898 and left exposed too long, 
when a considerable portion of the west side, which was quite 
perfect, was spoilt by the frost. 
The weather being too wet when it was opened last year to allow 
of its removal, the whole has been covered up again. 
Chamber VII, was 15 feet from east to west and had a hypocaust 
beneath. Fourteen pillars of the hypocaust were standing, 
averaging 8 inches square and 24 feet high, and were straight- 
sided and roughly sawn. Two were rebated on the angle, as if 
originally intended for jamb stones of a door. The stoke-hole was 
in the middle of the north wall and was formed with tiles. Just 
within this a number of loose tiles were found and several were 
stuck together with mortar and may have been from the jambs of 
the stoke-hole or possibly the pile immediately within it, and 
most subject to heat. ? 
A few tesserz of small size were found, so that the pavement of 
the chamber was doubtless of good quality.? 
Against the south wall was a remarkable formation of stalagmite, 
which is clearly shown towards the left of the photograph, deposited 
by the percolation of water through the soil and walls after the 
original water channels of the Roman house were destroyed. 
Chamber VIII. was 10 feet from east to west by 12 feet from 
north to south. 

1This was borne out by one tile remaining imbedded in the concrete 
bottom of the hypocaust, where a pillar certainly stood. 
2 A piece of an altar-tomb, apparently from the church, was found to the 
north of this chamber, showing how everything on the site had been disturbed. 
