I visited the ruins of the Roman city of Wroxeter, which is located in Shropshire, at the end of March. This was once the fourth largest city in Britain during Roman times. Most of the old city remains covered, so only a small glimpse of the ruins can be explored and seen today. Today, the remains of a large bath house and a market can be seen here as well as a reconstruction of a Roman house, which was built using the traditional Roman methods. The forum was located where that house now stands with additional important buildings underneath a listed barn next door. There is also a museum.
The name for this town was Viroconium, and it had a population of 5,000 people. There is evidence that the city had grown and expanded with different areas used for different purposes after the initial construction of the fort. I spoke in detail about the town to one of the staff at the English Heritage site, and he said that it was likely that the city was used for producing agricultural items for the Roman army, and its importance diminished after the military power here was scaled back in the country.
A tribe of people that farmed the land and traded salt and copper, known as the Cornovii, lived in the site where Wroxeter now stands before the Romans arrived. This tribe lived in a large area that is thought to have spanned modern-day Cheshire, Shropshire, parts of Wales and down to the Cotswolds.
When the Romans moved to Chester at around the year 90 for a time, the territory was returned to the Cornovii tribe. They had started to build a newer and larger bath house, but it was unfinished when they moved to Chester. The fortress buildings were demolished, so the Cornovii built on and extended the city.
The city was completely abandoned by the Romans when the army left to defend Italy against Germanic tribes. The locals lived in the city, and its buildings were re-purposed for a time. When the Anglo-Saxons arrived, they created new settlements instead of living in the old.
I explored the bath house first, and it's clear to see where many feet have walked over this threshold into the bath rooms, as it is very worn. There were different rooms in the bath house for exercising, cold baths, and hot baths as well as dry heat. The floor was built onto the vaulting, where the air could pass into. The furnances for the bath were at the far end, and this was the hottest part of the room.
There was also an outdoor bath, which looked like a modern day swimming pool. Outdoor baths were regarded as healthy, but the bath was not often used and filled in. I suppose the weather in the country made them unpopular.
Next up was a small market, which was built around a little courtyard after climbing some stairs. It was probably used as a market for more expensive goods.
The museum at the site contains a lot of information about the Romans along with some items discovered. However, many more items are in the museum at Shrewsbury.
My last visit was to the modern-day construction of a Roman house. A few of the rooms were decorated inside, such as a dining room, a room selling goods (market), a chapel, and a bedroom.
Although not too much of the city can be seen today, the visit was very interesting to discover some facts about how the Romans were living in Britain and to read more information about them. The site got popular at the end of my visit and the car parking was full.
Leave a comment