The Roman Villa at Hales

The remains of the Roman Villa at Hales cannot be seen today but they have been uncovered in the 1920s, 60s and 70s. The walls of the villa itself were exposed by the excavations and the substantial remains of the nearby bath house were also uncovered.  To see a plan of the villa click here.

Life in a Roman Villa

Most people in Roman Britain lived in the countryside. The type of house you lived in depended on whether your family was rich or poor. Some landowners lived in luxurious buildings like this one:

These were at centre of large farms known as villa estates. The farmhouses had mosaic floors, wall paintings and under floor heating (hypocausts).

These villas, like the one at Hales, often had a bath house. The Romans knew it was important to have a clean water supply and a clean body. They drew water from wells and springs, and they also used fresh water that was carried by pipes. The bath house contained various rooms the caldarium (hot room), the tepidarium (warm room) and frigidarium (cold room). Here is a plan of the bath house at Hales. Click on it to see pictures.

I - caldarium    IA - hot plunge     II - tepidarium    III - praefurnium     IV - frigidarium
V - apse    VI - cold plunge    VII - furnace    VIII - drain

Click here to find out more about the Romans in Staffordshire