Monument record 8156 - Roman Fortress Bath Complex

The fortress baths was a large complex occupying the area immediately to the east of Bridge Street (the Roman Via Praetoria) and covered an area approximately 85m by 85m. Numerous archaeological investigations and historic accounts from this area have meant that a large part of this complex can be recreated. The basilica formed the main entrance to and great hall of the baths. At its western end there appears to have been a range of three rooms approximately 10m wide, only traces of which could be identified. It is believed that the central room served as the main entrance into the baths from Bridge Street and was flanked on either side by two changing rooms. Beyond lay a large rectangular hall approximately 70m in length with two parallel rows of columns extending the remaining breadth of the space allocated for the baths. Towards the eastern end a large pool was inserted into the floor. Most of the basilica was recorded by Brushfield in 1863, although subsequent excavations in 1909-1910 and 1926-1727 by Newstead and in 1963 and 1964 by Petch have all recorded further evidence of the basilica range. The external walls have been identified on a number of occasions and can be determined with some degree of reliability. The basilica thus appears to have been c 80m in length and 26.5m in width. Traces of column bases were recorded within the hall indicating two parallel rows of ten columns between the main entrance and the pool situated towards the eastern end, and four more columns beyond it. South of the basilica the baths complex was divided into two broad sections comprising the main baths suite in the south eastern section of the complex and the exercise area in the south western section. The entrance to the baths suite was located approximately 45m along the south wall of the main hall beginning with the cold pool suite (the frigidarium) followed by the warm pool suite (the tepidarium) and finally the hot pool suite (the caldarium). To the south of which lay the main furnace rooms of the bath complex. The north wall of the frigidarium was first identified in 1863 but was not fully explored until 1909 when Newstead recorded the cold pool suite. The remaining part of this section was then excavated under emergency salvage conditions in 1964 providing us with enough information to reconstruct a suite of rooms some 55m in length from the south wall of the main hall to the south wall of the bath complex. The main rooms appeared to be a uniform 20m in width. The final section of the baths occupied the remaining part of the complex and appeared to be approximately 44m in length (from the south wall of the main hall to the south perimeter wall of the complex) and 40m at its widest point (from the Bridge Street frontage to the west wall of the baths suite). This open area is identified as the palestra or exercise area of the baths and included a large pool some 20m in length in the central space and a range of buildings along the northern wall interpreted as a range of sweat rooms (saunas). The initial construction of the baths is fortunately reliably documented as two fragments of inscribed marble recovered in 1863 commemorated the completion of the baths in the joint reigns of Vespasian and Titus (AD 72-79), but further precision is difficult. Mason suggests that the complex was rebuilt in the third century AD following a period of limited activity attributed to the 'military hiatus' period in the second century. Although the evidence clearly indicates activity throughout the period, it is not characteristic of military activity and it has been suggested that it represents a period when the 20th legion was largely based in the north of England.