The Excavations of Roman Baths at Bath

The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Excavations of Roman Baths at Bath, by Charles E. Davis

Leland, on his visit to Bath in the year 1530, with tolerable fulness describes the baths, and after completing his description of the King's Bath goes on to say Ther goith a sluse out of this Bath and servid in Tymes past with Water derivid out of it 2 places in Bath Priorie usid for Bathes: els voide; for in them be no springes; and further on he says The water that goith from the Kinges Bath turnith a Mylle and after goith into Avon above Bath-bridge.
These two sentences have hitherto been difficult of explanation, but the excavations, which it has been my good fortune to superintend, and the discoveries I have made, have fully explained Leland's meaning, at the same time that I have brought to light the great Roman Bath, which I purpose describing in detail in this paper, writing only of previous excavations and those I have conducted in connection with this work, so far as their description may the more fully render my account perfect of the Great Bath itself. I desire to confine my paper within such limits as the space afforded me in this Journal necessarily imposes.
Some time during the last century the ruins of a mill wheel were found to the south of the King's Bath. I have in my excavation discovered the mediæval sluice that led to this wheel. Leland speaks of two places in Bath Priorie used for Bathes els voide.
To the northward, separated by a wall of 3ft. 11in., stood the other Hypocaustum , with a door of communication. The floor of this is about 18in. higher than the other. These two rooms are set round with square-brick tubes of different lengths, from 16in. to 20in. in length and 6¾in. wide. These flues have two lateral openings of about 2in. square, 5in. asunder. These open into the vacuum between the two floors and rise through the walls. The north wall of the last stove was filled with tubes of a lesser size, placed horizontally and perpendicularly. The stones and bricks between the pillars bear evident marks of fire, while the flues are strongly charged with soot, which plainly points out their uses.