75 



On Recent discoveries made in Uncovering the Roman Baths at Bath. 

 By the Eev. Preb. Scarth, M.A, 



(Communicated 13th Jawnary, 1886.) 



In the proceedings of the Bath Field Club, Vol. iv., no. 4, p. 

 357, will be found an account of the excavations made at the 

 baths, by Major Davis, who gave some very interesting details to 

 the Club. This was in 1881, and as further important discoveries 

 have been made since that date, it is well that an account of them 

 should find a place in the records of the Field Club. 



The Roman sewer had then been fully examined and utilized for 

 conveying away the waste water from the thermal spring, and this 

 led to the discovery of the Roman tank for receiving the hot springs, 

 as described by Major Davis ; but since then the large Rectangular 

 Bath has been exposed to view, together with the Ambulatory (or 

 Scholge) which surrounds it, and the three recesses on the north 

 and south sides of the Ambulatory. The whole seems to have 

 formed a vast Hall for bathing, — 111ft. 4in. long by 68ft. 6in. 

 wide, and about 6ft. Sin. deep. The bottom of the bath, like 

 that of the tank or reservoir which received the hot springs, is 

 covered with sheet lead, and is 73ft. 2in. by 29ft. 6in. The 

 sheets of lead covering it are about 10ft. by 5ft., and are 

 supposed to have been laid rather to keep the hot water which 

 rises through the earth from entering the bath, than to make the 

 bath water-tight. Six steps lead down into the bath, but do not 

 appear to have been covered with lead. At the bottom step in 

 in the N.E. corner, was a bronze sluice, with an opening 13in. by 

 12iu., which may now be seen in the Pump Room ; an overflow was 

 provided also. 



The extreme surface of the water, according to Major Davis's 

 measurement, was 83ft. Sin. by 40ft. 2in., and formed a parallelo- 

 gram, except that the N.W. angle was cut oflf by the steps being 

 carried obliquely in three tiers for a length of 7ft. Some of the 



