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Monument details

HER Number:TR 34 SW 86
Type of record:Monument
Name:Roman (2nd - 4th century) Military Bath House, Dover.

Summary

A Roman military bath house was discovered during excavations undertaken in Dover Town centre in the 1970's and 1980's. The building measures twenty by eight metres and consists of a series of six heated rooms with the walls surviving to an average height of two metres, rising to four metres at one corner. It has opus signinum floors, a channelled hypocaust with the furnace at the western end and a large metalled courtyard. It had numerous phases of development and appears to have been in use between the mid second to late fourth century A.D. (location accurate to the nearest 2m based on available information)


Grid Reference:TR 3185 4143
Map Sheet:TR34SW
Parish:DOVER, DOVER, KENT

Monument Types

  • BATHS (BATHS, Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)

Associated Finds

  • AMPHORA (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
  • BEAKER (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
  • BOWL (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
  • BRACELET (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
  • BRACELET (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
  • DISH (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
  • FLAGON (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
  • HANDLE (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
  • JAR (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
  • PIN (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
  • PIN (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
  • POT (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
  • SPINDLE WHORL (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
  • STUD (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
  • WATER PIPE COLLAR (Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
Protected Status:Scheduled Monument 1004213: The Bath House, N of Market Street

Full description

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During excavations undertaken by Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit in the 1970’s ahead of large scale development in Dover town centre, A Roman military bath house was uncovered. The site, which lies to the north of Market Street, is just outside the area covered by the 2nd century naval fortress of the Classis Britannica and just within the walls of the Later Roman Saxon Shore fort. The building measures twenty by eight metres and consists of a series of six heated rooms with the walls surviving to an average height of two metres, rising to four metres at one corner. It has opus signinum floors, a channelled hypocaust with the furnace at the western end and a large metalled courtyard. A base of rammed chalk rubble had been laid ahead of its construction. The bath house appears to have had a long use and numerous phases of development are represented in the surviving evidence. This can be broken down into three main periods; the first coincided with the second phase of development of the CLBR fort, situated just to the south west, and may be dated to c. A.D. 155-160. The second phase, which consisted of a substantial re-build of many of the earlier rooms, may be dated to c. A.D. 190-200. The third phase, which again consisted of a substantial re-build of the period two rooms, as well as a change in the use of some of the rooms, is likely to have occurred during the construction of the Late Roman Saxon Shore Fort in c. A.D. 270. Coins recovered from the occupation levels of the bath house after its period III development suggest that it remained in use throughout the third century A.D. until the last quarter of the fourth century A.D.

The evidence suggests that this bath house was not the primary building at this site, it overlay and partly destroyed a number of early chalk block walls representing a number of buildings and an enclosure, these have been dated to between c. A.D. 100-140. The debris overlying the rooms in the main area of the bath house mainly represents the demolition of the superstructure, which, due to the lack of later evidence within it, may be dated to the late Roman period. (1-3)


From the Register of Scheduled Monuments:
List entry Description
In view of their importance for an understanding of Romano-British urban development and social practice, all surviving examples are considered to be worthy of protection. Despite some disturbance in the past, the Roman bath house 100m south-west of St Mary’s Church survives well. The walls and floors of the bath house are particularly well preserved and the building provides valuable evidence for the nature of urban settlement in the Roman town of Portus Dubris. The site will contain archaeological and environmental information relating to the construction, use and history of the bath house. The monument includes a Roman bath house surviving as buried remains. It is situated on low-lying ground to the east of York Street, north-east of Durham Hill in Dover. The bath house is approximately 20m long and 8m wide and includes a series of six heated rooms. The walls survive to an average of 2m high but rise to 4m high at one corner. It has opus signinum floors and a channelled hypocaust with the furnace at the western end. The bath house was constructed in three periods between the second and fourth centuries AD. The site was discovered during building work in 1881 and was partially excavated in 1973. A female statue has been found nearby, beneath the site of the church of St Martin's le Grand, and is likely to be associated with the bath house. Following partial excavation the site was back-filled and is now a public open space.(4-5)

A number of relief patterned tiles were located within a demolition deposit in room 3 of the period 2 bath house (constructed AD 190-200). This date seems too late for the tiles and it is likely that they were re-used in this period 2 bath house. The distribution of tiles of the same type of these found at dover suggests that they were transported by sea. (6)


<1> Brian and Edna Philp, 1974, CIB: Rescue Excavations in Kent 1972-1974: The Town Centre Excavation in Dover (Article in serial). SKE31869.

<2> Brian Philp, 1983, Kent Archaeological Review: Major Roman Building Discovered at Dover Vol. 74, Kent Arch Rev 74 1983 77 (Article in serial). SKE31866.

<3> Brian Philp, The Discovery and Excavation of the Roman Shore Fort at Dover, Kent (Monograph). SKE32061.

<4> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<5> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

<6> Council for Kentish Archaeology, 2013, Kent Archaeological Review; Roman relief patterned tiles at Dover and elsewhere in Kent. Vol. 191 (Article in serial). SKE31762.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>Article in serial: Brian and Edna Philp. 1974. CIB: Rescue Excavations in Kent 1972-1974: The Town Centre Excavation in Dover. pp. 12-13.
<2>Article in serial: Brian Philp. 1983. Kent Archaeological Review: Major Roman Building Discovered at Dover Vol. 74. Vol 74. pp. 77. Kent Arch Rev 74 1983 77.
<3>Monograph: Brian Philp. The Discovery and Excavation of the Roman Shore Fort at Dover, Kent.
<4>Scheduling record: English Heritage. Register of Scheduled Monuments.
<5>Index: Historic England. National Heritage List for England.
<6>Article in serial: Council for Kentish Archaeology. 2013. Kent Archaeological Review; Roman relief patterned tiles at Dover and elsewhere in Kent. Vol. 191. Vol. 191, page 40.

Related records

TR 34 SW 1575Parent of: External courtyard of the Roman military bath house, Dover (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1576Parent of: Flanking road of the Roman military bath house, Dover (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1412Parent of: Roman figurine located within a Roman Bath House on to the west of Market Square, Dover (Monument)
TR 34 SW 139Parent of: Roman latrine, near Cannon Street, Dover. (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1572Parent of: Room 11 (dressing room?) of the Roman military bath house, Dover (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1573Parent of: Room 12 (cold bath) of the Roman military bath house, Dover (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1574Parent of: Room 13 (possible external tank) of the Roman military bath house, Dover (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1567Parent of: Room eight (cold room) of the Roman military bath house, Dover (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1560Parent of: Room Five (hot room 2) of the Roman military bath house, Dover. (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1559Parent of: Room Four (hot bath 2) of the Roman military bath house, Dover. (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1568Parent of: Room nine (cold room) of the Roman military bath house, Dover (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1554Parent of: Room one (stoke hole) of the Roman military bath house, Dover. (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1564Parent of: Room seven (Tepid room) of the Roman military bath house, Dover (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1563Parent of: Room six (Apsidal hot bath) of the Roman military bath house, Dover (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1569Parent of: Room ten (tepid room) of the Roman military bath house, Dover (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1557Parent of: Room three (hot room 1) of the Roman military bath house, Dover. (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1556Parent of: Room two (hot bath) of the Roman military bath house, Dover. (Monument)
TR 34 SW 140Part of: Dover Roman Town and Port, Portus Dubris (Monument)