Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During excavations undertaken in Dover town centre by Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, a Roman military bath house was excavated and recorded. The extreme west end of the bath house complex was occupied by a stoke hole or furnace room. The recovered evidence represents two periods of development; the first structure was built of tufa and chalk blocks and internally faced with neatly coursed flints, it had internal dimensions of 4.5m (E-W) by 5.9m (N-S). This was subsequently replaced by new walls of roughly coursed flint, chalk and sandstone set in a pink mortar which gave new internal dimensions of 5.15m (E-W) by 4.3m (N-S). (location accurate to the nearest 2m based on available information)

Monument Types

• STEPS (Roman - 155 AD to 390 AD)
• WALL (period 1 walls, Roman - 155 AD to 190 AD)
• WALL (Period 2 walls, Roman - 190 AD? to 270 AD?)

Associated Finds

• COIN (Roman - 293 AD to 375 AD)

Full description

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(summarised from publication)

During excavations undertaken in Dover town centre by Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, a substantial Roman military bath house was excavated and recorded. The extreme west end of the bath house complex was occupied by a stoke hole or furnace room. The recovered evidence represents two periods of development; the first structure was built of tufa and chalk blocks and internally faced with neatly coursed flints, it had internal dimensions of 4.5m (E-W) by 5.9m (N-S). This was subsequently replaced by new walls of roughly coursed flint, chalk and sandstone set in a pink mortar which gave new internal dimensions of 5.15m (E-W) by 4.3m (N-S).

Internally the first period room had been provided with steps, in its north-east corner, each of which was capped by a large sandstone slab, and a large furnace on its east side. These were both substantially concealed by the later, period two staircase and furnace. The staircase would have provided access to the furnace through a opening in the northern wall (now missing). The period two staircase included four new steps extended internally from the north west corner and were formed of large yellow sandstone blocks set in a white mortar which butted against the new northern wall. The period two floor consisted of thin bands of mortar and soil, situated just below the bottom step.

Soil and light rubble was later tipped into the room, raising the internal level and covering part of the new steps and furnace, which at this point had fallen out of used and been replaced by a furnace in room two. This was all subsequently covered by a series of soils and rubble up to 4m thick which represents the late Roman and post roman activity across the site. (1)

<1> Brian Philp, The Discovery and Excavation of the Roman Shore Fort at Dover, Kent (Monograph). SKE32061.

Sources and further reading

Related records