Man accidentally discovers 'perfectly preserved' Roman villa in his backyard

[muriel_volestrangler]

39. Most of Devon and Cornwall is fairly hilly

and the Romans don't seem to have lived in the hilly areas of Britain much (except for the hills that Hadrian's Wall ran over, of course) - not so good for agriculture, I guess. Though you might have expected some interest in Cornish tin mines, for bronze.

The hypocaust requires an extensive brick or stone quarrying industry. Once the Romans left, building in Britain largely reverted to wood, and wattle and daub, until the Normans started building stone castles, churches and cathedrals.