The furnace lies beyond these two rooms and is immediately behind the wall with the seven niches.
THE BATH-HOUSE AT CILURNUM, SEEN ACROSS THE NORTH TYNE.
There are remains of the concrete vaultings of the rooms, and in several instances there are double thresholds, where the floor levels have been raised. We see also drainage arrangements for carrying the water down to the river.
Altogether this is a most interesting building, and it is a pity that no inscriptions have been found here which would fix definitely its date and its purpose.
As seen across the North Tyne it is very inconspicuous, because the grassy river-bank hides it. The soil having in the course of ages washed down and buried the building, now that it has been excavated it stands in a hollow. However, the seven arches of the unrobing-room are very plainly seen. The yew-tree, behind the cows in the picture, marks the situation of the furnace for the heating arrangements of the Commandant's house.
The western abutment of the Roman bridge can sometimes be seen in the water under the trees to the right.
I was sitting painting here one day when the river was very dry; the stones showed me much more of themselves than I wanted to see. I said to myself: "I do wish the river would fill up a little." Almost immediately after, I looked up, and it had filled up a little, just about enough to suit my purpose. I hardly had time to be thankful before it had risen a good deal more than enough, and in a very short time there was not a stone to be seen. This was indeed too much of a good thing! I realized that the river had "come down," as they call it. It was now rushing madly along, getting very brown and frothy, and boughs of trees were beginning to be borne along on its current. When I went home to lunch, I met a dead sheep being carried along, and at the George they told me that Barrasford Ferry was impassable. Haughton Castle had telephoned to say so, and to ask to have its friends coming by rail stopped at Humshaugh Station.
No wonder ardent fishers are warned to be careful when fishing in these northern streams.