Roman Baths England, UK

History

The fundamental part of the Roman Baths is the sacred spring. Hot water at a temperature of 460°C rises here at the rate of 1,170,000 liters (240,000 gallons) every day and has been doing so for thousands of years. To the ancients, this remarkable phenomenon could only be the work of the gods.

The first shrine at the springs in Bath was built by the Celts, and dedicated to the goddess Sulis. After the Roman invasion, Sulis was identified with the Roman goddess Minerva, but the name Sulis continued to be used. This led to the town's ancient Roman name of Aquae Sulis ("waters of Sulis").

During the Roman occupation of Britain, increasingly grand temples and bathing complexes were built. The bath complex in Bath was founded in 75 CE. The healing powers of the goddess and the mineral-rich water from the spring attracted visitors from across the Roman Empire.

After the Roman withdrawal the baths fell into disrepair and were eventually lost due to silting up. When bathing again became fashionable in England, the site was reopened. The magnificent Georgian building now standing was erected at the end of the 18th century.

The ancient Roman Baths were rediscovered and excavated in the late 18th century. As well as being an important archaeological find, they have from that time to the present been one of the city's main attractions.

Description

The Roman Baths are unsafe for bathing because the water has passed through the still-functioning lead pipes constructed by the Romans. However, the luxurious new Thermae Spa, which opened in September 2004, allows modern-day bathers to experience the waters for themselves.

The Roman Baths are below the street level of modern Bath and other Roman ruins stretch out beneath the city in all directions. The site consists of four main features: the Sacred Spring; the Roman Temple; the Roman bath house; and finds from Roman Bath.

The Sacred Spring, at the northwest corner of the baths, now feeds a pool known as the King's Bath, constructed in the 12th century. This is surrounded by a two-level Georgian building dating from the 18th century.

The Temple of Sulis Minerva at Bath is one of only two classical temples known from Roman Britain. The temple was built to house the cult statue of the goddess Sulis Minerva, the gilt-bronze head of this statue is on display in the museum.

The great ornamental pediment from the temple has been re-erected in the museum and carries an image of a bearded face carved in local Bath stone. This is the Gorgon’s head, a symbol of Minerva that also resembles other water gods like Oceanus and Neptune. Its sun-like appearance may represent the heat of the sacred spring.The Gorgon is encircled by surrounded by wreaths of leaves and surrounded by winged victories. The owl and the helmet at the bottom of the pediment symbolize Minerva's responsibility for wisdom and war.

The Roman Baths Museum contains many objects of interest, including thousands of objects thrown into the spring as offerings to the goddess. These offerings include:

Try a sip of the hot mineral spring water in the Pump Room's fountain - it tastes truly awful, but has long been believed to have healing powers!

Listed Building Description

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

ABBEY CHURCH YARD (South side)

Roman Baths Museum (Formerly Listed as: Roman Baths) 12/06/50

GV I

Roman bath, now museum. C1-C4, with a museum of 1889 and 1897 above. By John McKean Brydon, sculpture by G.A. Lawson.

MATERIALS:

Bath limestone ashlar with Roman tile roofs and asphalted and stone paved terraces. Rectangular Great Bath measures 25m by 12m by 1.5m deep.

EXTERIOR:

Stone bath with stepped sides, lined with lead sheets. This, and the surrounding column bases, date from C1. Round this is an open Tuscan colonnade, with half columns fronting square piers on the north side beneath the Concert Room (qv), and whole columns elsewhere. The colonnade is five by three bays, as was the Roman one, and is topped by a pierced parapet which carries life size statues by G.A. Lawson, of the Emperors and Generals especially connected with Britain (Julius Caesar, Claudius, Hadrian, Constantine the Great, Vespasian-Ostorius, Scapula, Suetonius, Agricola). A replacement statue of Julius Caesar was carved by Lawrence Tindall in 1989/90 following vandalism of the Lawson figure. The north side has a parapet, but it is built into a glazed loggia of five semicircular arches, with expressed keyed heads, under a pent Roman tile roof. Originally open, the present glazing was in place by 1925. This has a doorway with Gibbs surround opening onto the terrace at either end. Surrounding the Bath at the higher level is a wall of rusticated stone topped by a balustrade fronting Kingston Parade and York Street. This has corner pavilions with sash windows with Gibbs surround, two/four to York Street; and with a panelled door with Gibbs surround, and upper floor with keyed lunette abutting the Concert Room. The west wall of the Great Bath is a part of the old Douche and Massage Baths of 1889, by Major Charles Davis (qv, part of Queen's Bath, York Street). The Roman Baths Museum continues under this building as well as under the Grand Pump Room and the Concert Room (qv). The most interesting associated structures are the reservoir overflow which is under the King's Bath (qv), and the Outfall Drain which is under the Concert Room (qv). The East Baths, entered from the lower level are situated under Kingston Parade.

HISTORY:

The Roman Baths were discovered in 1755 when Abbey House, a surviving part of the monastic establishment, was demolished. Kingston Baths were built above the discoveries by Thomas Jelly in 1762, and these were not demolished until c1885. The West Baths were discovered when the White Hart in Stall Street was demolished in 1865, in preparation for the building of the Grand Pump Room Hotel 1867-1869 (demolished 1959). The Great Bath was discovered and excavated by the City Architect, Major Charles Davis, 1878-1880, also the Circular Bath, the reservoir and the spring; and these were incorporated into the Douche and Massage Baths in 1889 (mostly demolished 1972), but the Great Bath was left uncovered. In 1894 a competition was held for a new building to house the Great Bath, together with a Museum and a Concert Room. Brydon was successful, but, after much wrangling, his winning design was replaced by another, cheaper version, which included a Concert Room (qv), and the colonnades to the Great Bath. The winning design had included a roofed building to house the Great Bath (the bath had been roofed in the Roman period), but the roof went in the redesign. The Roman Baths are a Scheduled Monument (Bath and North East Somerset County Monument No.82) and are considered to be the finest non-military Roman survival in Britain.

SOURCES:

Barry Cunliffe, The City of Bath (1986), 16-43; Barry Cunliffe, The Roman Baths. A View over 2000 Years (1993); Neil Jackson, Nineteenth Century Bath. Architects and Architecture (1991), 250-52. Sited within the Roman Baths Scheduled area ref: OCN BA 82

Listing NGR: ST7507864717