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 3, which was located at the western end of the complex and had been heavily damaged by the construction of the late Roman Saxon Shore fort, had a hypocaust heating system underlying an opus signinum floor. As with the overlying room, the hypocaust had been heavily damaged but parts of five channels were visible including the main flue leading to an external stoke hole in the southern wall. (location accurate to the nearest 2m based on available information)

Monument Types

• HYPOCAUST (Roman - 200 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 3, which was located at the western end of the complex and had been heavily damaged by the construction of the late Roman Saxon Shore fort, had a hypocaust heating system underlying an opus signinum floor. As with the overlying room, the hypocaust had been heavily damaged but parts of five channels were visible including the main flue leading to an external stoke hole in the southern wall.

Despite the heavy damage sustained to this hypocaust its basic arrangement may be ascertained through the surviving evidence. As with the heating systems beneath rooms 1 and 2, there was an external stoke hole on the southern side of the room which fed hot air through a large flue to a central chamber. This chamber was no longer extant but the flue and arch connecting it to the stoke hole are present. This is due to the fact that they are located in the south eastern corner of the southern wall rather than the centre (rooms 1 and 2 stoke hole is central). Alongside this larger flue, four other channels were located in the north east, south east, north west corners and centrally on the western side. They measured 24-30cm in width and 64cm in height and were 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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