Monument record 8161 - Roman Fortress 'Elliptical' Building Bath complex

A small Roman bath complex interpreted as a axial row type (termed a reihentyp) was recorded immediately to the south of the Elliptical Building. (1)

The bath building covered an area 32.46m east-west by 14.35m north-south overall and comprised a colonnaded portico 4m wide on its east street frontage – probably a continuation of that in front of the adjacent elliptical building. The building itself was followed the typical plan of an axial type bath house following a linear progression from cold room to hot room with the changing rooms (apodyterium) lying immediately behind the portico serving as the entry into the baths area (CHER 8161/1) followed by the cold room or frigidarium (CHER 8161/2), the warm room or tepidarium (CHER 8161/3) and the hot room or caldarium (CHER 8161/4). Immediately adjacent to the caldarium was the furnace room or praefurnium (CHER 8161/5). (1)

The bath complex was first encountered in 1939 when two walls of the north end of the cold room were recorded however they remained isolated features until the 1960s when further evidence of the north side of the complex was identified in 1968 and more completely investigated the following year. (1)

<1> Petch D.F, 1970-71, Excavations on the site of the Old Market Hall, Chester, second summary report. 1968-70 (Article in Journal). SCH5898.

<2> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, p143 (Book). SCH3556.

<3> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, 1988 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

<4> Newstead, R and J P Droop, 1939, Excavations at Chester, 1939. The Princess Street Clearance Area (Article in Journal). SCH5707.