New Roman Glass Display to be Held at Ceredigion Museum

Ceredigion Museum has announced an exciting new partnership with the Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of Wales. This new partnership has attracted a £1,000 funding to display fragments of a unique Roman glass vessel, which was found at Abermegwr Romano-British villa.

The villa, located at Abermagwr near Aberystwyth, was discovered during aerial photography that was completed in 2006, and was excavated by Dr Jeffrey L. Davies and Dr Toby Driver from 2010-2015 during a volunteer-led community project. It is currently the only known Roman villa in Ceredigion and is the most remote Roman villa in Wales. The finds have been extensively researched and are now on public display at the Ceredigion Museum, Aberystwyth. The finds have also added to what is an exciting and educational landmark within the county, which is visited by locals and tourists each year.

A grant has been provided by the Association for Roman Archaeology (ARA) to fund a bespoke mount, which is being developed by a specialist, to allow the delicate glass fragments to be beautifully displayed within the museum’s gallery. This is a display that is guaranteed to bring in lots of interest with history buffs, as Roman cut glass is rare – only one cut glass beaker is on display at the British Museum and the design as found on the Abermagwr vessel is unparalleled in Roman Britain.

Ceredigion Museum curator, Carrie Canham, commented on the find “When I as at school, we were taught that the Roman’s didn’t have a significant presence in West Wales, but local excavation results have overturned that assumption.”

“This extraordinary object shows that the villa at Abermagwr was the home of comparatively wealthy Romans enjoying the good things in life. I’m extremely grateful to the ARA for the funding that will enable visitors to the museum to see it displayed to its best advantage.”

As a result of the current COVID-19 regulations, the work on the mount is due for completion towards the end of 2021. Due to the fragility of the glass pieces, they cannot be transported to the specialist who will be travelling to Aberystwyth to set up a temporary workshop.

Learn more about Ceredigion Museum.