Roman Bath, York facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Roman Bath |
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"The Roman Bath" from St Sampson's Square
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| General information | |
| Type | Public House and Roman ruins |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival (pub) |
| Designations | Grade II* |
The Roman Bath is a pub located in St Sampson's Square in the city of York, England. It is built right on top of an ancient Roman bath house. Workers found these old Roman remains when they were building the current pub between 1929 and 1931. The pub replaced an older inn that used to be there.
The outside of the pub looks like a Tudor Revival building. This means it has decorative wooden beams on the outside, like buildings from the old Tudor times. However, the most special thing about this pub is that you can see real Roman ruins inside!
What Was the Roman Bath House For?
This Roman bath house likely served the soldiers who lived in Eboracum, which was the Roman name for York. The baths were inside the Roman fortress, built in the 1st century AD. This fortress was home to a Roman legion, a group of about 5,000 soldiers.
We know it was for soldiers because some tiles found at the bath house have special marks. These marks show which specific Roman legions used them. It's thought that the Ninth Legion might have built these baths. The last time we know the Ninth Legion was active in Britain was around AD 108.
Other Roman baths have been found in York, too. These were excavated at Tanner Row, on the other side of the River Ouse. These baths, from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, probably served the regular people of York, not just the soldiers.
Visiting the Roman Baths Today
The pub itself is a Grade II* listed building. This means it's a very important historical building. It was given this special protection in 1954. This was quite early for a pub built in the 1920s, which suggests the Roman ruins were the main reason it was listed.
You can visit the Roman remains inside the pub. There is a small fee to enter.
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You can see the caldarium, which was the hot room, and other parts of the baths. Some other areas of the baths would have been outside the small area the pub now covers. This means much of the ancient bath house is still buried underground! The whole area is protected because it's inside the York city walls. This part of York is known as an 'Area of Archaeological Importance'.
Other Roman Baths in the UK
There are other places in the UK where you can see Roman baths that served forts. For example, at Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths, which was also a legionary fortress. There, you can see a frigidarium (cold room), a tepidarium (warm room), and a caldarium (hot room). There was even an open-air swimming pool!
Another example is The Six Bells pub in St Albans. It's also built above a Roman bath house. However, unlike The Roman Bath in York, you can't see the Roman remains on display there.
