The Roman Baths
Each and every step you take in Dorchester surrounds you with hundreds of years of history. Some of this you are able to see and interact with, such as the impressive Roman Town House remains and the gorgeous field which houses the Maumbury Rings. However, many residents and visitors of the town remain unaware, as they park to go about their day, that they stand upon the largest remains of any Roman Building found in Dorchester so far.
In the south-eastern part of Durnovaria, underneath Wollaston Field Car Park, lay the remains of the Dorchester Roman Baths. Excavated in 1977, the magnificent stone bath-house was found to have several suites of hot, cold and tepid rooms, as well as, saunas and even a large exercise yard! Though much of the stone remains were reused in new buildings around Dorchester, archaeologists were able to uncover the original walls, water tanks, mosaics and hypocausts (the underfloor heating systems).
Many pottery drinking vessels were found upon the site, suggesting that there were also rooms for meetings and banqueting within the baths. The substantial size and contents of the baths suggest that they would have been a central social centre of the town, and also inform us that the upper-class members of society within Durnovaria embraced social and leisure activities.
Water was supplied to the area by an aqueduct nine miles in length, this public water supply would have provided for private consumers, like those in the Roman Town House and the Baths. With a constant supply of fresh, clean water being essential to Durnovaria, this water would have first arrived at a public fountain, located along Princes Street, before splitting off into individual inlets which would have been charged based upon the sizing. The most prominent marker of this magnificent feat of Roman engineering is a gorgeous small modern fountain standing on the site of the public fountain, which is decorated in mosaics and stone carvings. Also, part of the underground route for the aqueduct can still be seen on the side of Poundbury Hillfort today.
Archaeologists also discovered unusual blown window glass within the baths. Similar glass has been found at Exeter and Gloucester, and the baths at Exeter are very similar in design. These were associated with the Second Legion Augusta, so it is possible that specialist craftsmen attached to the army unit helped construct the baths in Dorchester.
The Roman Baths were covered with sand and reburied to protect them after excavation, and as such they cannot be seen today. But, perhaps, one day they will re-emerge!
Find out more...
Visit the fountain in Princes Street, which marks the likely site of the Roman fountain where the aqueduct arrived in the town.
Read Roman Dorset by Bill Putnam.
Discover the route of the aqueduct at Poundbury Hillfort.
