Billingsgate Roman House and Baths

About

Billingsgate Roman House and Baths is an archaeological site in Londinium (Roman London). The best preserved parts of the house are a bath with hypocausts. The ruins of the tepidarium were discovered in 1848 while the Coal Exchange was built on the site.

Its preservation on the instruction of J. B. Brunning is the earliest example of in situ preservation in the City of London.

The remains were preserved and were visible in the cellar of the building. In 1967 to 1970, the Coal Exchange was replaced by another building and the Lower Thames Street was enlarged. Further excavations were made at the site and the remains were incorporated into the cellar of the new building, but were not open to the public.

Pottery has shown that the Roman house was erected in the late 2nd century and had at this time a north and an east wing around a courtyard. There was most likely also a west wing but nothing of it survived. At this time the house was at the waterfront of the Thames.

The rooms in the east wing had underfloor heating. In the 3rd century a bath was added into the open courtyard in the middle of the complex. It had a cold room, a frigidarium (blue on the map) a warm room, (tepidarium - pink...