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Underneath a nondescript office block in central London, not far from the River Thames, lies a hidden portal into London’s extensive past. Some two thousand years ago, Romans ruled what was then known as Londinium. As the Roman Empire shrank, the Romans left their remarkable architecture behind. While much of it has been understandably lost to time, there are still a few sites around London where you can see Roman ruins. One of the most impressive is the Billingsgate Roman House & Baths. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to tour the archaeological site.
Access to the Billingsgate Roman House & Baths is limited to Saturday tours, which are offered only from April to November. Tickets are £ 12 and include a guided tour lasting about 45 minutes. Since there are only about 20 people per tour, tickets sell out quickly and can be booked here.
Aside from the window poster, nothing about this building indicates that it incorporates architecture over 2,000 years old.
After a brief introduction to the site & the Roman history of London, our tour guide, Rebecca, led us to the ruins, which are located down a staircase just a floor below.
The Romans first invaded what is now England in 43 AD & established Londinium in 47 AD. It’s estimated that this property was constructed around 150 AD as a private bath.
At that time, it was located right on the banks of the Thames. The river was once broader & shallower before being reshaped into its current state.
While there’s some debate about Billingsgate being a private bath given the size of the property (Was it a private bath for a rich family? An inn? A brothel?), that’s just one of the many unanswered questions about Roman life in London.
Around the 5th century, the Romans were gone. The Anglo-Saxons who later lived in the area tended to avoid Roman ruins, though an Anglo-Saxon brooch was found on the site.
It’s remarkable that despite over 1500 years of vacancy, these Roman baths have managed to survive as the only domestic Roman property you can see in London. It’s also the only Roman site preserved in situ.
The Billingsgate Baths were discovered in 1868 during the construction of a coal exchange. At this time, the tepidarium section of the bath was discovered.
Following the opening of the coal exchange, the Roman ruins remained hidden out of sight for another 100 years.
In 1968, the city wanted to demolish the coal exchange to widen the streets for cars. It was at this time that the rest of the Roman house was discovered.
Recognising the property’s significance, it was thankfully saved, and a modern office building was eventually built on top of it. While the support columns do interrupt the site a bit, care was made to protect the ruins below as well as they could.
Near the beginning of the tour, you can see a model of what the London Roman House & Baths likely looked like. While just the foundations & some floor elements remain, archaeologists & historians can estimate the whole structure based on other Roman architecture. The model is helpful because you can easily see the outlines of each section’s foundations.
The Billingsgate Roman House & Baths is a working archaeological site. The room contains not only the site but also boxes of items recovered during the dig so far. They have found everything from everyday items to animal prints to coins to hair.
At the edge of the baths, you can see an outer wall that would have had a street outside. Here, the stone is notably faced, rounded off to look better for passers-by.
Looking inside the walls, you can also see the ducts where warm gas flowed through heated floors & heated walls – remarkable for 2000 years ago.
In the second section of the London Roman Baths, you can see more intact tile floors. There are also seats where people would sit in the baths.
The Billingsgate Roman House & Baths provide a unique look into early life in Roman London.
While a visit does require some advance planning, it can be combined with other historic sites for an interesting afternoon of Roman architecture in London. Nearby, you can also visit the Roman amphitheatre at Guildhall and the London Mithraeum.
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