COLCHESTER'S
ROMAN BATH
or as the experts refer to it -
'THE D SHAPED FEATURE'
HAS BEEN SAVED
On Saturday 9th September 2000,
at the request of
The Colchester Archaeological Trust
a site team (Colchester Engineering Systems),
a crane (Quinto Crane Hire of Ipswich) and
a transport vehicle (Barry Farr of Colchester)
arrived on site to commence the task.
The bath structure probably dates from around
the year 200 and is unique in Colchester -
and perhaps in Britain!
It was worth saving!
after a few setbacks with crumbling Roman concrete
the first sections were raised successfully and placed
onto a purpose made steel framework.
The first section virtually disintegrated due its
poor condition and only fragments could be
rescued.
Here, Darren Rothery and Nick Gunn, decide on the
plan of action, these pieces coming out in three sections.
The last and heaviest piece is carefully lifted out, virtually intact.
And placed onto the steel frame with the other pieces.
When all was carefully loaded onto the frame,
protective packing for transport was applied.
The whole thing was then put onto the lorry and
taken away for storage.
WELL DONE
EVERYBODY!
and with special thanks to
Councillor Terry Sutton
(LibDem Cabinet Member for Colchester Borough Council)
for ensuring that the bath would be rescued for future generations.
back to
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090900
Colchester's Roman Water Feature
(an article written for publication)
In Britain, Colchester's recorded history is second to none.
In May 2000, the Colchester Archaeological Trust started an archaeological dig to discover what lay beneath the ground once occupied by the towns's main Post Office. The site was to be developed for use as a cinema complex, which meant that its foundations and auditoria would be below the known Roman layers.
A limited excavation had been done around 1930, just prior to the construction of some additions to the Victorian Post Office buildings. This had revealed several interesting features, one of which was an apsidal bath type structure. Armed with this knowledge, it did not take the archaeologists long to re-discover the bath feature. Day by day, week by week, all through the summer months, the site got lower and lower. The bath ended up sitting proudly in its battered state. There were large pieces missing and evidence of a pit having been dug through its floor ay some time. The fine white mosaic tiles on its interior faces gave an insight into what a fine structure it must once have been.
Two open days were held for the general public to view the work that was being done. Thousands of people came and listened attentively while the guides took them round the site, explaining how the Roman town in this particular part of the town must once have been. There were few questions. Just a sense of awe at all that was being seen for the first time in nearly two thousand years.
Queen Boadicea (or Boudica to the pedantic) paid a visit in 60 or 61 AD and brought mass devastation to the town, the abundance of burnt clay that was virtually everywhere, being a testament to this fact. It was after this destruction that a massive re-building of the town took place. It transpired that the bath feature was attached to a high status Roman house, its precise date uncertain but presumed to have been late 1st or 2nd century AD. (The embedded roof tiles that made up the Roman concrete fill of the structure, will eventually give a better idea, when expert opinion has been obtained.)
It was during the evaluation in 1998 that the town's planners, taking advice from the Archaeological Curator, decided that the bath feature had no archaeological value and need not be saved for posterity. All that was required was that it be removed and the site levelled to make way for the new building works. The general public were not made aware of this decision at the time, although even if it was, it would probably have meant little to them. It was only when the feature was exposed fully and seen by so many that the psychological impact took over and a campaign got under way to 'Save Our Roman Bath'.
The original Roman colonia (Colonia Victricensis) part of the town was built on a hill, overlooking the ancient British settlement to the south. The hill had no spring or free running water, so often associated with Roman settlements. A Roman bath system has never been found, nor probably will one ever be, for the simple reason of a lack of a plentiful supply of water. Even the Norman conquerors of 1000 years later had to cut a well some 100 feet deep to reach the clay levels where water collected. The bath feature therefore seems to have been more of a decorative water feature, sunk below external ground level in what was probably the garden of the Roman house onto which it was attached. Evidence of a hypocaust (underfloor heating) system, associated with the house was found, which could perhaps have heated the water for the bath. However, whether or not it ever served as a bath, in the usual sense of the word, is not known - but seems unlikely. Its water supply probably came from a rainwater collection system and it must have suffered from the dreaded algae, as any pond owner will be familiar with.
However, it is unlikely that Roman Colchester did not have a bath complex. Whilst it had been hoped that this bath-like feature would have led to the discovery of just such a complex, the clear lack of the very necessary constant water supply was evident. The Romans would have known from their earliest visit that spring water was abundant in the Sheepen area, to the north east of the colonia. Indeed, archaeological excavations have uncovered much evidence of Roman period buildings and industrial activity. The Roman bath complex would probably have been located it that area and may, one day, be discovered.
The construction of this apsidal, 'D' shaped feature, has been described by some as 'Jerry Built', of poor quality, with various attempts at repair over the course of years. It once had a fine covering of mosaic tiles (many areas of which have survived intact), of internal length 3 metres and a radius of half that. The wall thickness was 45cm and its depth around 75cm, perhaps with a water spout. Over the centuries, it had developed several major cracks, which made the prospect of its recovery much easier.
It is believed to be unique in Britain. The design of the feature is well known in Roman Europe, but this was the first of its type to have been found in this country. It probably escaped the attentions of the building material robbers due to its poor construction. Colchester - indeed Essex in general - had no natural stone for the Romans to use for their massive building projects. A local fossilised clay material known as Septaria, was to be found on the coast some 20 miles away. This, together with Roman tile, was the main materials used for buildings, the Normans and later builders, robbing out the Roman materials for their own projects.
At the end of the dig, the site was flattened by a mechanical digger, as required by the contract. The bath remained as it had been found, although what remained of its floor had been removed by the archaeologists, in readiness for its final act. One Saturday, without any fuss or public attention, a crane was brought onto the site. A previously constructed steel platform was brought to site and set down in position. A team of workmen set about the business of undermining the several sections of the bath structure, connecting soft straps at suitable positions and then, with the gentle care of the crane operator (who was totally bemused by the whole task), each section was gently lifted and placed onto the steel frame. When all the largest pieces had been removed, protective packing was applied in readiness for lifting the complete assembly, some 3 tonnes in weight, and removal from the site.
The bath was taken away, its ultimate future uncertain. A reconstruction task should not be difficult. A final site, where the general public can view it, has been suggested. As usual, it is a question of money.
The lesson that hopefully has been learned is that the ordinary man or woman on the street, does care about history. They do believe that money should be spent on preserving our heritage so that future generations can be given the opportunity to see evidence of a past era. The archaeologists quest for knowledge alone is not necessarily the only way. This case has proved it.
Jess Jephcott - local amateur historian
Visit
in Canterbury and see how things can and should be done.