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 |
| Location | St Sampson's Square, York, England |
| Designations | |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: The Roman Bath Public House | |
| Designated: | 14 June 1954 |
| Reference #: | 1256732 |
The Roman Bath is a special pub located in St Sampson's Square, York, England. What makes it unique is that it's built right on top of an ancient Roman bath house! These old Roman ruins were found when the current pub was being built between 1929 and 1931. The outside of the pub looks like an old English house with Tudor Revival style. But the most exciting part is definitely the Roman remains you can see inside.
This Roman bath house was likely used by the soldiers of Eboracum, which was the Roman name for York. It was part of a large Roman fortress built in the 1st century AD. This fortress was home to a Roman legion, which was a group of about 5,000 Roman soldiers. Tiles found at the bath house even have marks showing which specific legions used them. Historians believe the Ninth Legion might have built this bath house. 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. Baths from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD were dug up at Tanner Row, across the River Ouse. These baths are thought to have been for the regular people living in Roman York, not just the soldiers.
Visiting the Roman Bath
The pub itself is a very important historical building, called a Grade II* listed building. It was given this special protection in 1954. This was quite early for a pub built in the 1920s and 30s. This suggests that the amazing Roman ruins underneath were the main reason it was listed.
You can visit the Roman remains inside the pub. There is a small fee to enter and explore this ancient site.
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Inside, you can see parts of the baths, like the caldarium. The caldarium was the hot room in a Roman bath house. Some other parts of the baths were outside the area where the pub now stands. Many parts of the ancient baths are still buried underground and haven't been dug up yet. The entire area is protected because it's inside the York city walls. This means it's a special 'Area of Archaeological Importance'. This protection helps keep these important historical sites safe.
Other Roman Baths in the UK
There are other places in the UK where you can see Roman baths that were part of forts. For example, at Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths in Wales, there was also a large Roman fortress. It had a frigidarium (cold room), a tepidarium (warm room), and a caldarium (hot room). It even had an open-air swimming pool!
Another example is The Six Bells pub in St Albans. It is also built over a Roman bath house. However, unlike The Roman Bath in York, the Roman remains at The Six Bells are not on display for visitors to see.
