Wakefield Museums and Castles

Roman forts had a standard layout, from Hadrian’s Wall to the deserts of Egypt. Wherever possible this design included a bath house, just outside the main fort for the soldiers to use. Hygiene was a key part of keeping soldiers healthy and fit to fight.

The leisure element was also important, especially for morale. The troops in Castleford had signed up for 25 years’ service and were hundreds of miles from home. Many would never have returned home or seen their families again.

After the fort was demolished, the bath house was left standing. It was kept running for over 200 years, becoming a valued asset for the new Roman town.

Artist's impression of inside a Roman bath house

Revealing the bath house

Castleford’s bath house was discovered in 1978 by Ron Jeffries, an enthusiastic local amateur archaeologist.

It is next to (and partly underneath) the Savile Road / Church Street roundabout.

This meant it couldn’t be completely excavated, but enough was found to be sure of its layout.

Amateur archaeologist Ron Jeffries at a dig in Castleford

The bath house was in an annexe to the main fort. It was originally built by and for the army. The whole building was built of brick and stone and probably decorated with statues.

It would have been one of the more impressive buildings in town.

Digs revealed the almost complete ground plan of the Castleford bath house

Clever engineering

Roman soldiers usually built their own barracks and forts. However, the bath house was a specialist project. It was probably built by professional engineers, not the local troops. We think this because the tiles in it are stamped with the mark of the 9th Legion Hispania, the main legionary unit based in York. This is different to the 4th Cohort of Gauls, the unit based at Castleford.

The building itself was about 25 metres long and followed a standard design. Roman baths were more like Turkish baths than modern swimming pools. They focused on relaxation and perspiration.

The first room you entered was the changing room. There were then three rooms that got hotter as you went on. The last of these probably had a hot bath in it. Finally there was a much larger cold water plunge pool after you left the hot room. This was made of a special concrete that looked like marble.

Archaeological plan of the bath house at Castleford

The rooms were heated by large furnaces. These piped hot air through a clever series of ducts under the floors and in the walls. Fresh water probably came from a spring. The dirty water could be piped away to the nearby River Aire.

A stone tablet dedicated to water nymphs suggests that the local spring was special, maybe having magical healing powers. This made the baths even better!

The water nymph dedication stone, on display at Castleford Museum

Bathing and beauty

To get clean in a Roman bath you would have rubbed oil into your skin. As you got hotter and hotter, and started sweating, the dirt and sweat would have mixed with the oil. This mix of oil, dirt and sweat would then be scraped off with a special curved blunt blade.

At the same time you could have other cosmetic and beauty treatments. These tweezers for plucking hairs were found in the bath house.

The remains of some Roman tweezers

Fun and games

Roman bathing was about far more than just getting clean. It was also for relaxation and socialising.

There would have been drinks and snacks available while you chatted with friends, or networked and did some business with associates. 

Gaming counters found in the bath house shows that people also have played games and gambled.

Roman gaming counters found in Castleford, perhaps for playing the popular game rota.