AN excavation to discover the location of a Roman Villa will begin in Wanstead Park over the next few weeks.

The announcement was made at a packed open evening organised by the Wanstead Park Community Project (WPCP) to update the local community about the ongoing work to highlight the past, present and future life of the park.

John Shepherd, archaeological director of West Essex archaeological group, said: "The villa is believed to be a large elaborate structure with a court yard that could run to thousands of square metres."

Mr Shepherd told how during Roman days the River Roding would have been a navigable river used to take goods between the Thames and the Wanstead villa.

The villa would also have been an important link to Roman settlements at Great Dunmow and Chelmsford.

Over the next few weeks there will be a geophysical survey around the perch pond area using a megatromic machine to discover the location of the villa in the park.

Mr Shepherd said: "This will enable us to understand better the Roman archaeology and archaeology of the park."

Local historian Peter Lawrence told the group how East India Company beneficiary Josiah Childs bought the site for £11,500 and then spent £250,000 on developing the Wanstead House and gardens.

Mr Lawrence mused what might have happened if later, Childs' grandaughter Catherine Tylney Long had not married the Duke of Wellington's nephew William Wellesley Pole, who bankrupted the estate inside ten years.

Mr Lawrence said: "One suitor was the Duke of Clarence who later became King William IV. Had Catherine Tylney Long married the Duke instead then she would have finished up the Queen of England, what would that have meant for Wanstead?".

The local historian recalled how after Wellesley Pole had bankrupted Tylney Long, the contents of Wanstead House were sold off with the building removed in six weeks.

Dramatically, he told how the site of the house is now represented by a sunken area on Wanstead Golf course the size of Buckingham Palace.

The whole evening saw talks on different aspects of the life and history of Wanstead Park backed up on film with a DVD, expertly put together by WPCP member Stuart Munro.

"The aim of the evening was to tell people about what has been going on with the WPCP and get more local involvement. We want as much of the local community involved in this exciting project as possible," said Mr Munro. "Any ideas and offers of help would be most welcome."

The Roman excavation work ties in closely with a recent Roman Weekend at the Temple in Wanstead Park, when visitors could look at Roman artefacts already excavated.