rhakotis.com
Jewry Wall & Roman Baths
After 8 years and a major refurb, the Jewry Wall and Roman Bath House has reopened. It is a triumph of museum design.
The meeting point of two major roads of Roman Britain, Leicester (Ratae Corieltauvorum) was an important city with a forum, market, bathhouse and rich townhouses.
It predates the Roman conquest.
Archaeologists have established that the site was first settled in the first century BCE, although Geoffrey of Monmouth attributed the foundation of _Kaerleir_ even earlier __ to the mythic King Lear.
The Latin name _Ratae_ may derive from the local word for ‘ramparts’, suggesting it was a military camp or fortified. But it was also an important civilian settlement.
By the second century CE, its market sold a range of fresh goods produced locally and others from further afield like opium poppy to season dishes. Oyster shells have been found at the site, possibly from Essex (120 miles away). Archaeologists have also identified a Roman ‘delicatessen’ selling imports from the Mediterranean like figs, grapes and olives.
On arrival, visitors are ushered into an immersive light show video in a large room.
The young Marcus walks around Leicester looking for his dad and bumps into various characters at important sites. Including Lochita, a woman from Greece who owns a market stall, obviously based on the ‘delicatessen’.
In general immersive lightshows can be a bit hit and miss, but Leicester’s was genuinely one of the best I’ve seen, with a strong story and impressive visuals. Roles were played by human actors which made the characters memorable and recognisable, but the artists sketched over them to emphasise the ‘reconstructive’ element of the display.
The detail was immaculate, with close attention to hairstyle and clothes. The dog Ferox, an Anubis style breed, was based on mosaics found in Pompeii and on remains found in Britain.
In such ways the video breathes life into archaeology.
The video was not the only thing to impress.
The architectural refurb has sensitively brought the 70s stylings back to life, adding much needed light and improving access.
Previously the museum was in the basement of Vaughan College with visitors having to climb down an external staircase. It is now fully accessible.
The new gift shop has settled in the old college library, much like an early medieval cottage built in the recesses of a ruined Roman villa. The original shelves are still in place across two storeys, leading the eyes up to a skylight.
The basement’s vaulted concrete ceiling – now accentuated with white washed walls – recalls the arches of Roman architecture, but is a gorgeous bit of work in its own right.
Although on a much smaller scale, I would place it in the same rank as London’s Southbank Centre or Barbican.
The large plate glass windows on both floors make the most of the archaeological site, leading up to the impressive ‘Jewry Wall’.
At 75 ft (23 m) long, 26 ft (8 m) high and 8.2 ft (2.5 m) thick, it is one of the largest surviving-above-ground Roman buildings in Britain, probably because it was used as part of later building.
(A note on the name. It is not believed to come from Leicester’s medieval Jewish community who were violently expelled by the local warlord Simon de Montford in 1231, but may reflect folk beliefs about Jewish people in the later medieval and early modern period when the name was first recorded.)
Dame Kathlen Kenyon excavated the site in the 1930s. There had been speculation on what might be found. Locals said it was a temple to Janus. Kenyon established that the site was a bath house (ironically the plan was to turn the site into a swimming pool).
The Roman bath house was built in the second century CE and likely remained in use until the fourth century. The arches in the Jewry Wall were the old entry way into the baths proper, from a large basilica (today roughly the site of the church of St Nicholas).
Not only was this an impressive building, it was highly resource intensive. Archaeologists estimate that 3,750 buckets of water and over 200 cartloads of wood to heat the pools, with 25-75 soccer pitches of woodland needed a year.
Revd. Professor Martin Henig, the Vice President spoke of his memory of visiting as a child and his hope that the new museum would inspire future ancient historians and archaeologists.
“Amongst other things”, he recalled, “we were taken to a draper’s shop – and making sure no one was changing – we were taken down to the basement to see the peacock pavement which was still _in situ_.”
The mosaic is now proudly displayed in the museum in a new mounting, addressing long standing concerns about it in the old museum.
It was made in the same mosaic workshop as the Blackfriars mosaic.
When I visited an archaeologist on seeing the mosaic for the first time in ages said “It scrubs up a treat!” And she was right.
They are both impressive works contrasting with other Romano-British examples, like those found in Cirencester _._
But Henig is more emphatic. These items are of international importance. Leicester’s collection contains archaeology that is either the best example of its kind or is unique.
If I had to choose one or two objects, I would select those related to religion.
Two curse tablets written on lead sheets were found in Vine St.
On his tablet, Servandus listed 19 individuals from the quarters of enslaved people of a large house who he believed had stolen his cloak. One of the names is crossed out. Maybe Servandus went round asking everyone and he thought Senicianus had a credible alibi. Either way, we do not know how the local god Maglus dealt with the remaining 18 people. But it provides a fleeting insight into the lives of people in the Roman town.
Another item is a small ivory fragment from a box made in Egypt. It depicts the god Anubis holding a lance amidst lotus flowers. Small bronze or terracotta figurines of Egyptian gods in armour have been found both in Egypt and across the Roman world.
Although we have other items depicting the Egyptian gods from Roman Britain, this item would have been particularly expensive and may have been owned by a senior army officer who served in Egypt. A lead seal belonging to a legion that had served there was also found in Leicester.
A powerful reminder of the long distance connections of the empire.
The museum is certainly well placed to inspire people to learn more about the Romans.
For me, the power of any museum display comes down to how much the objects tell their story and ask questions of visitors.
When designing interpretations and interactive elements, there is a fine balance between the amount of information you should provide: too little and people leave without understanding important nuances or the hidden implications of objects, and too much and you overwhelm visitors. I would say the Jewry Wall Museum largely got this right.
With this in mind, I thought the focus in the videos on the workers and producers of the Roman town was correct, but not enough was said about the coercive nature of Roman society and enslaved people were noticeable by their absence.
But with that caveat, the museum provides a sensitive and engaging exploration of what it was like to live in Roman Leicester and is a triumph of museum design. I recommend a visit.
Museum webpage
### Share this:
* Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
* Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
* Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
* Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
* Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
*
Like Loading...
### _Related_
