Roman villa with 'swimming pool' marked out in park

The site was marked out by rollers normally used to mark out football pitches

The site of a Roman villa, believed to be the second largest with a swimming pool in England, was marked out in a park.

Archaeologist Dr David Neal first discovered what was underneath Gadebridge Park in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, in 1963.

Following the excavation, Dr Neal said the site was "covered up with paving slabs and plastic sheeting, otherwise it would not have survived" during cold winters.

As part of a heritage open day, he returned to the site and gave a talk on the marked-out area, which brought the pool back "to life".

During the first excavation in the 1960s, Dr Neal said thousands of people visited the site

The first excavation took place between 1963 and 1968 after construction workers uncovered masonry when digging the Leighton Buzzard Road.

Dr Neal returned to the site for another excavation in 2000 and said it was "the second largest swimming pool in England after the large bath at Bath".

It is thought the villa was occupied for more than 300 years, and after the Roman invasion of AD43, it was extended due to its close proximity to the Roman city of Verulamium, which was found in St Albans.

Dr Neal returned to the site on Saturday, 13 September, not to dig it up, but to talk to visitors about why it was important.

A drawing detailing the reconstruction of the Gadebridge Roman villa by Dr Neal, showing the swimming pool (bottom right)

Alan Olive, secretary of the Hemel Hempstead History Society, said the group wanted "people to know what's under their feet" and explore the area's history.

He said the response from the public at the open day had been "colossal" and quite a few people who turned up had links to the dig.

"There's lots of memories from people of their participation or their parents' participation, or they remember that big thing happening in Hemel," he added.

"It's unfortunate in a way, it's been buried and forgotten for all those years."

Dr Neal said because the swimming pool had no roof and was constructed out of chalk "it is unlikely to have lasted more than a few years"

Mr Olive said marking out the villa had brought it to life.

"One of the highlights for me was the steps leading down to the swimming pool," he continued.

"Pictures of the excavation back in the 1960s, you could absolutely visualise what was there, including a swimming pool which had holes in the bottom for fish to escape because it was fed by the river... it just comes to life.

"Everybody who walked over it was just amazed at the way it brought it to life - that was the thrill."