More information : (SD 475619) Masonry indicative of a bath house and a Roman inscription (RIB 605) indicating rebuilding in AD 363-6, were found near the junction of Bridge Lane and Church Street Lancaster in 1812. Excavation on the east side of Mitre Yard, near the find spot, in 1973 revealed the remains of a Roman stone bath house building, with the hypecaust substantially intact, which had replaced earlier timber structures. The quality of the remains, including column drums and painted wall plasterm implied a building of some importance, probably the principal bath house of the vicus (SD 46 SE 48). An uninscribed altar was also found. The proximity of the bath house and find spot of RIB 605 indicate that it is the one referred to in the inscription rather thanthe bath house inside the fort (SD 46 SE 24). The Inscription is at present in Ribchester Museum on loan from St John's College, Cambridge. (1-3)
|