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. Room seven which was situated towards the eastern end of the complex, to the east of room five and west of rooms 8 and 10. It was relatively large with internal measurements on 5.68m (N-S) by 3.75m (E-W), and multiple periods of development are represented by the evidence. Unlike the other rooms however, here four periods of construction were suggested. (location accurate to the nearest 2m based on available information).

Monument Types

• FLOOR (tiled floor, Roman - 155 AD? to 390 AD?)
• HYPOCAUST (period 1-2 hypocaust, Roman - 155 AD to 270 AD?)
• WALL (period 1 walls, Roman - 155 AD? to 190 AD?)
• WALL (period 2/3 walls, Roman - 190 AD? to 390 AD?)

Associated Finds

• COIN (Roman - 367 AD to 383 AD)
• COIN (Roman - 387 AD to 388 AD)

Full description

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(summarised from publication)

During excavations undertaken in Dover town centre by Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, a Roman military bath house was excavated and recorded. Room seven which was situated towards the eastern end of the complex, to the east of room five and west of rooms 8 and 10. It was relatively large with internal measurements on 5.68m (N-S) by 3.75m (E-W), with walls surviving to a maximum height of 2m. Multiple periods of development are represented by the evidence, unlike the other rooms however, here four periods of construction were suggested.

As is the case with the majority of the rooms uncovered, tufa block walls with white mortar and an opus signinum floor with imprints of now lost pilae, suggesting the presence of a hypocaust, represent the primary period one construction, which was substantially re built in period two. A new west wall of chalk blocks and tile was constructed in period two along with a new base of flint sealed by opus signinum over which was situated a new hypocaust, which supported the new floor. The floor in this room was capped by a layer of flat tiles and represents the only tiled floor uncovered within the complex. A doorway between rooms seven and five is represented by a large sandstone door sill set just above the floor level.

The period three development of the room consisted of the removal of the floor and underlying hypocaust at the northern end of the room and the insertion of a large cold bath, 2.95m (E-W) by 2.16m (N-S) with a maximum depth of 95cm. new south and west walls were constructed. The fourth and last phase of development involved the infilling of this new cold bath and covering of the tiled floor with a layer of black loam with charcoal, this rooms seems to have in the last phase served a domestic function (1)

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

Sources and further reading

Related records