Monument record 8372 - Roman Centurions House (Via Decumana west) at Northgate Brewery

Evidence of the fourth centurion's house to the west of the via Decumana was recorded during archaeological investigations at the former Northgate Brewery in the 1970s. This site lies within the retentura or the rear ward section of the fortress that was almost entirely given over to barracks for four cohorts, one to either side of the via Decumana (Northgate Street) and one in the north east and north west corners of the fortress. Only fragmentary evidence of this building was recovered including a north-south aligned wall tenatively interpreted as the eastern external wall and traces of a second internal partition wall extending out from it. 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. The first barracks were constructed using a timber frame with wattle-and-daub infilled panels. These timber barracks underwent a varying number of re-buildings in a relatively short period of time. From about AD 100, there was intermittent rebuilding in stone (perhaps with timber superstructures). However, there were also periods of abandonment. A comprehensive rebuilding was finally undertaken in the early third century. These barracks had much the same plan as their timber predecessors. A diminished number of barracks continued to be occupied into the fourth century.