Monument record 8313 - Roman Barrack Block (Latera Praetorii East) at Eastgate Street

Evidence of a Roman barrack block was recorded to the north of Eastgate Street during archaeological investigations in 1959 and again in 1985. The initial excavations carried out in 1959 identified a substantial area of the central part of the building comprising at least four pairs of rooms (contubernia) and a veranda along the western side of the barrack. The layout of the rooms could be determined from the excavations including evidence of a tiled floor surface in the inner sleeping quarters and a flagstone surface in the outer living area. Further excavations to the south identified the final set of rooms of the barrack building suggesting a similar layout throughout. Legionary barrack blocks each accommodated a century of 80 men plus their officers, and were normally arranged in groups of 6 (a cohort of 480 men). Narrow streets gave access to facing pairs of barracks. The centurions' quarters were situated at the ends of the barracks, adjacent to a major road - either the perimeter road (via sagularis) or main transverse street (via principalis). The centurions' quarters were divided from those of the rank-and-file by a narrow alley. They were wider than the men's quarters but lacked a veranda. In ground plan they consisted of a corridor with rooms (including a private latrine) opening off on each side. The men's quarters consisted on 14 (later 11 or 12) units of two rooms for approximately eight men, fronted by a veranda that often contained an enclosed latrine at one end. The outer room was used to store equipment; the inner was for living and sleeping and contained a hearth. Only 10 pairs of rooms should have been needed to accommodate a century; the purpose of the spare rooms is uncertain.