Countryside Homes: Farms and Mansions The Romans built posh rectangular farmhouses out of (or partly out of) stone. We call them 'villas'. They had lots of rooms. There are lots of different types of villa. The most common were: Cottage Villas, which were simple rectangles. You went through each room to get to the next. Corridor Villas, which had a covered walkway along one side. You could use this to get to all the rooms. Winged Corridor Villas (see picture), which were like Corridor Villas but with two 'wings' of rooms sticking out on each end. Aisled Villas, which were like big barns, sometimes split into rooms inside. Courtyard Villas, which had rooms on three or four sides of a courtyard. These could be very large and posh, like modern stately homes. Many villas had lots of expensive Roman luxuries: Underfloor heating systems (called hypocausts) to keep you warm. These were often under the dining room called a 'triclinium'. Private bath houses for keeping you clean. They were like modern steam rooms. Cellars, probably used for cold storage. Mosaics were pretty patterns or pictures on the floor made out of tiny coloured stones. Wall plaster painted with colours (especially red), patterns or pictures. Private shrines. Private springs. Doors with locks. Some even had window glass. Villas were usually surrounded by lots of other farm buildings, like barns, stables, byres and granaries; and also accommodation for slave farm-workers.
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