Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During a series of extensive rescue excavations, ahead of development in Dover’s town centre undertaken by Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit a building, a substantial Roman building consisting of 6 main rooms was uncovered lying on an east-west axis. This structure is today known as the ‘Painted House’ due to the vast quantity of painted wall plaster which was located, largely in situ, in association with it. The uncovered remains remain open to the public for viewing. Room 1, which was located at the eastern end of the complex, had an a hypocaust heating system underlying an opus signinum floor. This heating system, which would have been heated by an external stoke hole, fed a set of channels beneath the floor and into vertical wall ducts. (location accurate to the nearest 2m based on available information)

Monument Types

• HYPOCAUST (Roman - 180 AD to 270 AD)

Full description

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(summarised from publication)


During a series of extensive rescue excavations, ahead of development in Dover’s town centre undertaken by Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit a building, a substantial Roman building consisting of 6 main rooms was uncovered lying on an east-west axis. This structure is today known as the ‘Painted House’ due to the vast quantity of painted wall plaster which was located, largely in situ, in association with it. The uncovered remains remain open to the public for viewing. Room 1, which was located at the eastern end of the complex, had a hypocaust heating system underlying an opus signinum floor. This heating system, which would have been fed by an external stoke hole, supplying heat to a set of channels beneath the floor and into vertical wall ducts.

The basic arrangement of the hypocaust beneath room one was an external stoke hole, which was situated against the southern wall of the room, fed a large southern central flue, this lead to a chamber beneath the middle of the floor measuring 1.8m by 1.8m. Within this chamber three complete vertical pilae stacks survived consisting of 12 tiles set in a brown clay. From this central chamber 7 channels radiated to each of the four corners of the rom and the centre of the sides, they measured 24-30cm in width and 64cm in height, while the central southern flue leading to the stoke hole was larger. These channels had been constructed in deep cuts made in the underlying deposits and natural brick earth and were lined with mortared chalk blocks and capped with corbelled arches. The hot air would have then passed from these channels into vertical wall ducts which consisted of box flue tiles built into the walls. (1)

<1> Philp, B, 1989, The Roman House with Bacchic Murals at Dover (Monograph). SKE24004.

Sources and further reading

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