A 50-YEAR bid to unlock ancient secrets of the Sussex Downs has taken a giant step forward.

Archaeologists at Stanmer Park in Brighton have discovered signs of a Roman villa and pieces of Roman pottery.

The find has stunned the volunteer excavation team working at the park.

It's a major development in an archaeological search started in 1947 by two enthusiasts, Walter Gorton and Charlie Yeates.

They were searching for a forgotten Roman shrine at a site to the north of the park called Rocky Clump.

They never found it, but stumbled on other fascinating clues including what they believed to be a Saxon cemetery and Roman coins and pottery.

But now members of the Brighton and Hove Archaeological Society have found conclusive remains of a rectangular Roman villa dating back to the First or Second Century.

They estimate that the 12-metre wide villa would have housed a family of eight who farmed the surrounding land.

Pottery from the same period has also been discovered.

John Funnell, secretary of archaeology at the society, said: "This is very significant find.

"What we have discovered is a far more complex site than was originally suggested."

John and his team found post holes which could have held the wooden supports for the villa's flint walls.

The team plans to carry on digging once the new Roman fragments are analysed.

And technology, including aerial photographs and geophysical surveys, could reveal what lies beneath the surface.

John, 51, said: "The surveys suggest there could be more there. We intend to keep digging."

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