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Roman Bath House - London

Conservation and re-presentation of roman walls, hypocaust and mosaic floor

Thought to date from the 4th century, this complex of Roman Buildings was originally discovered in 1845 and since than has had a chequered history. Most recently it was covered with sand in order that an office could be built above. Situated close to the river in Lower Thames Street opposite the old Billingsgate Market, the original fabric had suffered badly from salt induced decay.

Following a trial programme, the wholes site was conserved by Nimbus. The principle behind the conservation was to reduce as much as possible the effects of salt crystallisation. This was done by removing all the cement and concrete that had been introduced into the site in the 1960’s excavation. Then, where practical, parts of the site were isolated from the ground by lead membranes – this was most successfully accomplished in lifting intact and replacing large areas of tessellated floor.

In other areas, porous lime mortars were used for repointing, repairs and floors. In this way the salts will be encouraged to move through these mortars rather than the original fabric. There was also extensive piecing together of broken terracotta floor tiles, flue and pilae.

The whole programme was carried out in conjunction with an archaeological investigation by the Museum of London Department of Urban Archaeology. The work was remarkable both for the level of cooperation between conservators and archaeologists and the development of complex methods of conservation to suit the unique requirements of the site.

Architect: James Clare, Department of Building and Services
Client: Corporation of London