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 12 was a small room located on the northern side of room eight, it effectively formed a period three extension of room eight. Its east and west walls abutted the pre-existing buttresses and were about 2.3m in length, and the northern wall was about 4.2m. Most of the internal features in this room had been destroyed by a later pit, but two steps did survive, these had been cut into period one wall on the south side. (location accurate to the nearest 2m based on available information).

Monument Types

• BATHS (Room 12 cold bath, Roman - 270 AD? to 390 AD?)
• FLOOR (Tiled floor of cold bath, Roman - 270 AD? to 390 AD?)
• WALL (Room 12 walls, Roman - 270 AD? to 390 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 12 was a small room located on the northern side of room eight, it effectively formed a period three extension of room eight. Its east and west walls abutted the pre-existing buttresses and were about 2.3m in length, and the northern wall was about 4.2m. Most of the internal features in this room had been destroyed by a later pit, but two steps did survive, these had been cut into period one wall on the south side.

The walls were constructed of flint, chalk, greensand lumps and opus signinum, all set in a gritty white mortar, rendered with a thick layer of opus signinum and surviving to a maximum height of 1.1m. The base was formed of large tiles mostly about 50cm squared, these were set in a bed of opus signinum but had been badly robbed. No evidence of a hypocaust was recovered, this was clearly a cold bath. (1)

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

Sources and further reading

Related records