Wroxeter: Discover the Roman City and Bathhouse

If you are considering Wroxeter as a destination, you will encounter a Roman city with several kinds of historical traces. Wroxeter was once the fourth-largest city in Roman Britain; today, you can explore the excavated remains of its city centre, including the vast public bathhouse complex. You can see how the Roman past is conveyed through archaeological remains, reconstructed spaces and museum objects.

Bathhouse and forum

The bathhouse was not only a vast complex of buildings, but also a public meeting place. Residents gathered there to wash, exercise and socialise. This combination offers insight into how the city functioned: the bath brought physical activity together with social interaction.

The market hall was part of the bathhouse complex; bathers could get food there for their evening meal. The remains of the forum colonnade are visible opposite the market hall, across the street, and are near the Roman Town House. This makes it possible to distinguish the market hall and the colonnade remains as different elements of the city centre.

The outlines of the basilica are also marked out on site: discs indicate the former positions of its columns. These markers make their positions in the floor plan easier to understand and add another way to orient yourself alongside the surviving structural remains.

Roman Town House, museum and games

The reconstructed Roman Town House shows another side of the ancient site. It includes a dining room, a bathing area and replicas of Roman furniture. Only tools and materials that were available to the Romans were used in its construction. Unlike the excavated remains of the city centre, it allows you to see how the rooms and their recreated furnishings fit together. This places residential rooms and furnishings alongside traces of public functions such as the bathhouse.

The renovated museum at Wroxeter Roman City displays Roman jewellery, amulets, specialist tools and religious artefacts. The objects offer different perspectives on material culture and complement the view of the buildings and city layout. If you are interested in objects from everyday Roman life, the collection here ranges from jewellery to specialist tools and religious finds.

Wroxeter Roman City also offers visitors with families giant Roman-themed games. These add a playful activity to exploring the excavations, reconstruction and museum objects.

St Andrew and views of the landscape

St Andrew in Wroxeter stands on the Roman site of Viroconium. Its gateposts are made from two Roman columns; inside the church are also three alabaster tombs dating from the 16th century. Roman building elements and much later tombs therefore meet at this site. This span of time sets St Andrew apart from the reconstructions and excavations of the Roman city.

The landscape is also part of the picture at Wroxeter Roman City: the view takes in distant hills and the River Severn. The best place to enjoy it is the on-site viewing platform. After the details of the colonnades, column markers and exhibits, the view offers a different perspective on the site and its landscape setting.

Discover more destinations: Sutton Maddock, Easthope, Minsterley, Silvington, Bitterley, Weston Rhyn, Oreton, Bucknell.

For the regional travel overview: Shropshire.