See the summer in the Corinium Museum’s new Roman Garden

Visitors can come and relax in a setting similar to ancient Italy this summer thanks to a makeover of the Corinium Museum’s Roman Garden.

A whole host of plants and shrubbery has been donated by local garden centre Dobbies to the Cotswold District Council-owned museum in Cirencester, to create a stunning Roman-style centrepiece at the Park Street venue.

Following the Museum’s £6 million refurbishment in 2004 the garden needed a major redesign, and the area has now been replanted to create the impression of a Roman townhouse garden, in the style of the late first and second centuries.

Roman gardens were used as a place to relax and entertain guests, and the Romans were among the first civilisations to use gardens for ornamental purposes, using the exteriors of their homes as an ‘outdoor’ room.

They often decorated their gardens with colourful plants, stone ornaments and statues placed in flower beds and decorative pots used to hold an array of interesting plants.

The Romans were also thought to have introduced many plant and fruit species to Britain, including box, daffodils, plums, walnuts and leeks.

Cllr David Fowles, Cotswold District Council’s Portfolio holder for Sport, Culture and Enterprise, said: “Visitor can sit and soak up the atmosphere in this new area, and find out a whole lot more about Roman gardens, plus there are some new interpretation panels on hand to guide them through identifying the plants.”

For anyone interested in visiting the Museum, to see the Roman Garden or its vast array of artefacts, its opening hours are Monday – Saturday, 10am-5pm, and Sunday, 2pm-5pm, and Bank Holidays. The new Visitor Information Centre will also be open from Monday June 2nd.

Source: Cotswold District Council