Price reduced to £1 for Newport Roman Villa’s half term clay days

Newport Roman Villa’s popular clay activity days will return for the spring half term with admission to the site available for just £1 per person.

The reduced admission fee will apply on Wednesday 31 May and Friday 2 June.

Visitors can drop in from 10am until 2.30pm, no booking required, although numbers may be limited in the activity room at busy times.

For families there will be an animal-themed photo hunt and the opportunity to make a clay masterpiece to take home in the guise of face pots made out of clay coils.

The Romans often put faces on their pots and many have been found near Hadrian’s wall.

The faces were not made out of moulds so they all were unique and had their own personality. We do not know what the face pots were used for — they were often found at burial sites and shrines but also within domestic settings where they could have been used as cooking pots or storage jars.

The previous clay event during the February half term saw more than 850 participants visiting the site over the two days and attracted many positive comments.

One visitor said it was “an amazing place and super activity – it was great to bring the grandchildren today, they had so much fun” and another added that “the children want to come back and explore the Villa again soon.”

Referring to the £1 entry fee for the event, it was said that it was a “brilliant low cost-visit that we all really enjoyed.”

Newport Roman Villa is located in Cypress Road (PO30 1HA) and is run by the Isle of Wight Council’s Heritage Service. 

It contains the incredible remains of an excellently preserved third century Roman farmhouse. There is a small Roman garden and a selection of archaeological finds from the Isle of Wight.