More information : (SU 14764815) Roman Bath House (R) (site of) (1)
Remains of a small room were uncovered by Col W Hawley, in Sept 1907 at the Cavalry School, Netheravon (about 100 yds south of Netheravon House). They were discovered by the R.E. in excavating for huts. The room was probably about 13 1/2 ft square, except that the NW end and wall were missing; an outer wall, probably part of a villa leads in the direction of a shrubbery of large yew trees, which from the condition of the ground is where most of the villa lies. The floor was of coarse red tesserae with inner borders of purple and white; beneath this were indications of an earlier floor. All over the interior space from the surface downwards were tesserae of a smaller and better description. Finds from the site include some coarse black ware, roof tiles, red ridge tiles etc and six coins (including 2 of Constantine I and 1 of Claudius Gothicus) (2). A hoard of coins is said to have been found in the same grounds many years earlier, but no details seem to be on record (3). Part of a tesselated pavement was uncovered in 1936, in the coal yard of the Small Arms School, not far from that discovered in 1907. Mention is made of "coarse red tesserae" (4). (2-4)
The site is now occupied by a tarmac square with no modern developments in the vicinity. The published site is probably accurate and likely to have been authenticated by Col Hawley. The 1936 coalyard was about 20.0m SW of the published symbol and is still a fuel yard. (5) |