A pair of Britain's most important sites will be preserved for future generations thanks to grants from English Heritage.

The owner of Bignor Roman Villa, near Pulborough, has been awarded £60,000 to protect the monument's ancient remains.

A further £10,000 will go towards preserving the ruins of Treyford Church, near Chichester.

The work at Bignor Villa has already been carried out. Since the remains were discovered by an ancestor of the current owner in 1811, they have been protected by cover buildings with delicate thatching.

Recently the roofs have been leaking and the precious mosaics at the site have been damaged by rainwater.

The buildings have now been repaired by preserving as much of the original thatching as possible. The roofs are said to be vital to understanding historical thatching techniques and are made of materials hand reaped from the farm at the time.

The land owner today is Tom Tupper, whose family have farmed in the area since the 14th Century.

He said: "We are very pleased with the support we have had from English Heritage, as well as DEFRA, in renovating the cover buildings and with the result of the project.

"The buildings have been re-thatched and the timber renovated, basically restoring them to their former glory. I am glad the historical significance of these buildings has been recognised."

Bignor Roman Villa was occupied between the second and 2nd and 4th centuries. It famously contains the Ganymede mosaic, which depicts the shepherd boy Ganymede being carried off to Mount Olympus by Zeus as a cup bearer to the Gods in Greek mythology.

The cover buildings are thought to be the oldest in western Europe.

The villa has just been removed from the Buildings at Risk Register.

The ruins of Treyford Church are still on the register. The site is overgrown and the £10,000 grant will help clear vegetation from the site and determine what conservation is needed.

The church's owners Geoffrey Green said: "This church is of great historical significance, not only to the village, but to Sussex as a whole. Sadly since its roof was removed some time ago, it has slowly deteriorated."

Volunteers are needed to help clear the site. Call Judith Roebuck on 01483 252044 or Geoffrey Green on 07836 369449.