York Roman Bath Museum

Small museum in the cellar of a York pub, showing the remains of a Roman military bath house from the fortress of Eboracum.

Opening hoursAdmission £4.50

Tickets Website Directions

About the museum

The museum lies about five metres below The Roman Bath pub on St Sampson's Square, where the remains of a Roman military bath house were found during building work for the present pub in the early 1930s. The pub is a Grade II* listed building, listed in 1954 partly because of the Roman remains beneath it.

The bath house belonged to the Roman fortress of Eboracum. According to the museum it is one of only a handful of military bath houses in Britain dating from the 2nd century, probably built by the Ninth Legion and improved by the Sixth Legion Victrix. The Sixth Legion was stationed in Eboracum from about AD 120 until the Romans left Britain in AD 410, after which the bath house fell into disrepair and was reused by Anglo-Saxon settlers.

What survives is a large part of the caldarium (the hot steam room), a small part of the frigidarium (the cold plunge pool) and part of a wall of the tepidarium (the warm bath). Displays include clay tiles bearing the hobnail prints of soldiers' boots and even the footprint of a Roman chicken. The museum is run separately from the pub, although the two work closely together.

Highlights

Large section of the caldarium, the hot steam room of a Roman military bath house
Part of the frigidarium (cold plunge pool) and a wall of the tepidarium
Clay tiles with hobnail boot prints and the footprint of a Roman chicken
Remains seen from a walkway below the pub, about five metres underground

Permanent exhibition

Roman military bath house – Remains of the caldarium, frigidarium and tepidarium of a 2nd-century bath house of the Roman fortress, with tiles showing boot prints and animal footprints.

Admission & discounts

Adults	£4.50
Reduced	£3.50Children under 16 and concessions
Children & teens	£3.50Children under 16.
Groups	–School, tour and group bookings are arranged by email.
Families	£12.50Two adults and three children.