Wednesday 18 September 2019

Beneath The Roaring Traffic


You could drive along the A1(M) road hundreds of times (as some poor souls do) and never guess what lay under the highway. You could even drive around the busy roundabout on the A1000 Welwyn By-Pass which runs parallel to the A1(M) without noticing the entrance.


But if you did stop you might find this strange burrow beneath the roaring traffic which leads, should you follow it like Alice after the White Rabbit, to an unexpected world,


This downsloping tunnel is not part of the local sewer system as you might reasonably expect but is in the care of Hertfordshire Museums.


For here between 1960 and 1973 a local archaeologist called Tony Rook excavated part of a complex of Roman buildings. No sooner had he completed the work than plans were published for a new major road - going right over top of the site.


It was decided to build a "vault" over the remains and open it up as an educational facility and visitor attraction. This is the Roman baths which were part of a villa complex known to archaeologists as Dicket Mead. The photo above shows the poor old servant stoking the fires to heat the boiler.....


….meanwhile the privileged few lounge around in luxury. It has been suggested that as these buildings are close to a major Roman road it may have been the equivalent of a hotel. Or it may just be part of the villa of a wealthy family. It was built in the third century AD and was occupied for around 150 years.


There is also a display of various artefacts discovered during the excavation.


And here's a model of the buildings which give a little more idea of the layout. Nearest to us is the boiler room, but the bather entered via the far end where there's a cool room (frigidarium) which also acted as a changing room. They then proceeded to the warm room (tepidarium) where they may have had a massage, before entering the steamy hot room (caldarium). To the side of the hot room there's a hot bath. They then went out via the warm room and finished off with a cold plunge bath next to the cool room.


Looking back you can see the unfortunate servant, still stoking the boiler and unaware of the twenty-first century traffic rushing by overhead.


Take care


22 comments:

  1. It is a stroke of good fortune that this important find was preserved and is now available for all to see. As you rightly point out, many who speed along the expressway above it are probably unaware of its existence. It is their loss entirely.

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  2. Wow! That's a fantastic place, and a fantastic way to protect it!

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  3. That's so cool!! I am glad they found a way to preserve it.

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  4. Wow, what an incredible place. It's wonderful that they found a way to preserve and protect it.

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  5. A very creative way of preserving the site!

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  6. I would never in this lifetime have guessed this was there.

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  7. Who know that such history lay just yards beneath!

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  8. Fascinating! I love seeing the artifacts, especially that multicolored bowl.

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  9. I didn’t know this. Thank you for sharing, John. I always learn something from you.

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  10. What an intriguing place! And so awesome that it is open to toe public. I could spend a lot of time there just browsing!


    My Corner of the World

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  11. Faascinating! I want to see this when we come back.

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  12. Not unlike some of the ancient artifacts dotted along Athens' subway.

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  13. I have ventured along that Welwyn Roman Baths tunnel too which magically transports you back to the time to the Romans.

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  14. I agree with all the comments already given...but am amazed (once again) at the English to find a way to serve both needs. May that continue!

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  15. Looks a fascinating place to visit and a great way to preserve the remains:)

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  16. That is such a spectacular find. I love seeing these photos and reading your commentary. I'm not sure I could ever wander into that tunnel (I'm a bit claustrophobic), but I am so glad you did. Thank you!

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  17. That is truly amazing! What an interesting place to visit.

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  18. Ingenious to put the museum under the highway like this and preserve the site. Kudos to the people that had the foresight to do this.

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  19. Fascinating. The juxtaposition of old Roman civilization and the modern world above is mind-boggling. — the pace of the zipping traffic above and the luxurious flow of the relaxing activity of the baths. Only a few feet, and a few centuries, apart.

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  20. Oh wow! This is exactly the sort of discovery that I find fascinating John.. even more so because most passing above would have no idea ✨

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  21. How interesting! Amazing what's right underneath us if we take the time to discover!

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