Binchester (Vinovia) - Bath-houses and Fort

Boasting two of the best-preserved military bath-houses in Roman Britain, Binchester ** in County Durham merits a detour from the better-known sites further north on Hadrian's Wall. Sitting on high ground above the River Wear, the fort occupied a key position on the main Roman road to the north, and its substantial civilian settlement (vicus) would have been an important staging point for travellers between York and the frontier zone. Excavations at the site continue to reveal new information about the fort's occupation during and after the Roman period.

Location and Access

Located a mile north of the town of Bishop Auckland in County Durham, Binchester is reached along a minor riverside road that starts behind the town hall - around a 40 minute walk from Bishop Auckland railway station. If driving, the one-way system in Bishop Auckland is a bit confusing but the site is well signposted. Admission is charged - see here for opening times and prices. There is a large on-site car park as well as toilets, a small shop and childrens' play facilities. Sadly, there is no on-site museum.

Background and Context

Binchester lies within the former territory of the Brigantes, who were allied to Rome under the leadership of Queen Cartimandua until a change of power around 69-71 CE. This prompted the incoming governor Petillius Cerealis to mount a campaign in the north during 71-74 CE. Given that his successor (Julius Frontinus) moved on to fight the Silures in what is now south Wales (see my post on Caerwent), it is likely that the Brigantes had largely been subdued. 

A network of roads and forts was established across the conquered lands, linked by a key north-south route, later known as Dere Street, running north from York (Eboracum) to Corbridge (Coria). This would eventually extend into what is now southern Scotland. Several forts were built along this route, including Binchester (Vinovia) which was established around 75 CE next to the River Wear crossing point. Geophysical surveys (see image below) carried out in association with an investigation by Channel 4's Time Team programme (the episode is worth watching) showed that the earthwork ramparts of first fort on the site enclosed a larger area than the one that we now see. 

Binchester fort - on-site signage showing geophysical survey results. The outline of the earlier fort is visible on the north-east side of the later defences.

The site was temporarily abandoned when Hadrian's Wall was built in the 120s, but a second fort, this time with stone walls, was built around 160 CE. A substantial civilian settlement (vicus) developed along the line of Dere Street, which passed through the middle of the fort.

Binchester - the position of the fort's south-east wall (arrowed) is indicated by longer grass and a break in slope. 

Today, the fort's defences appear as low earthworks (above), some of which been eroded away by the nearby river. The only visible structures within the fort's walls are the commander's house (praetorium) and adjoining bath-house, which are described below (see also the picture at the start of this post). Replacing earlier structures, both of these buildings are of a surprisingly late date - around 340 CE. They were still in use at the end of the period of Roman occupation in 410 CE, and there is some evidence of occupation later in the 5th century, including iron working and the slaughter of animals. One theory is the fort's buildings housed a local warlord in immediate post-Roman times.   

Binchester - commander's house (praetorium) with adjoining bath-house covered by modern building

Excavations outside the fort walls have revealed the foundations of civilian houses, as well as a number of tombs forming a 'street of the dead' on what may have been a by-pass road avoiding the main fort. These digs have been back-filled, but the remains of a second, and earlier, bath-house have been left on view under a temporary cover (below). This is known as the town bath-house, although it would certainly have been used by soldiers from the fort. Alterations were made to this building as the surrounding ground level rose, and it was eventually abandoned during Roman times around 300 CE. Its half-buried rooms were filled in with rubble and rubbish containing a wealth of archaeological information. Excavation of the structure has been paused until the results of the first phase of excavations have been published, possibly late in 2026.

Binchester - excavations paused at the town bath-house

The presence of burials dating from the Anglo-Saxon period shows that the site remained in use for several centuries after the Roman occupation. However, the building of Auckland Castle by the Bishops of Durham in early Norman times moved the focus of activity further to the south, leading to the development of the town of Bishop Auckland. Binchester was reduced to a manor house and small village, with its ruins providing a handy source of local building stone. By the late 1800s most of the above-ground stonework had been removed from the site. Durham County Council took over the fort in the late 1960s, leading the excavation and consolidation of the praetorium and fort bath-house which was protected by a cover building. The site is now managed by the Auckland Project, a wider regeneration initiative for the Bishop Auckland area. 

 

Date of my Visit

The photographs in this blog post date from my visit in 2026. 

Tour of the Site

Leaving the ticket office, it is a short walk to the commander's house (praetorium) and adjoining bath-house. In front of these we can see a section of Dere Street, which formed the main route through the fort (the via principalis) between the north-west and south-east gates. The base of the road, some five metres wide, is made from water-worn stones from the River Wear, bounded on one side by a carved stone gutter. The upper surface of the road has been lost.

Binchester - Dere Street base with gutter on the left

Only one wing of the commander's house is currently visible (below): this would have been a large building arranged around a central courtyard. Although several rooms are exposed, their functions are not known.

Binchester - commander's house (praetorium)

The bath-house immediately adjoins the commander's house, leading to the suggestion that it was provided for his own use. However, the date of the structure coincides with the abandonment of the earlier bath-house outside the fort's walls (see below). In all likelihood the fort bath-house was simply a replacement for the older facility, built on a smaller scale to reflect reduced troop numbers and placed within the fort for greater protection. 

   

Before going inside the bath-house building, it's worth taking a quick look at the two rooms that have been left uncovered - the changing room (apodyterium) and exercise hall. Both retain their original stone floors (below).

Binchester - stone floor of the exercise hall

Binchester - fort bath-house plan (photo of on-site signage)

Inside the bath-house a raised walkway provides a good view of the sequence of warm, hot and cold rooms. The first of these is the warm room (tepidarium), which contains an almost-intact floor supported by brick pillars (pilae) - an excellent example of a hypocaust system (below, and see also the photo at the start of this post). Three brick arches allowed the hot air to move from under the adjoining hot room, continuing up cavities in the walls (flue tiles) creating a chimney effect. The brick internal walls are now missing, as is the room's original vaulted roof.

Binchester - fort bath-house warm room (tepidarium)

It is worth going down the steps to have a look inside the hypocaust system:

Binchester - fort bath-house warm room - brick arches and hypocaust

Two hot rooms make up most of the remainder of the bath-house building. The nearest one was likely the hottest, as it was directly heated by an outside furnace (see later). Known as the sudatorium, this room was where bathers went to work up a sweat. Next to it was the other hot room (caldarium), which had two hot plunge baths opening off it. Part of this room's floor is still in place (below).

Binchester - fort bath-house hot room (caldarium) with part of the floor intact

Binchester - general view of hot room (caldarium) showing the position of one of the plunge baths (in the alcove to the rear) and the flue linking to one of the furnaces.

The remaining internal rooms of the bath-house contained two cold plunge baths - possibly less popular in the winter months! Very little of these now survive (below).

Binchester - fort bath-house cold plunge baths

Leaving the bath-house by the other (rear) door of the modern building one of the furnaces is visible on the left, with a brick arch connecting to the underfloor heating system (below).

Binchester - town bath-house - external furnace and brick arch

You can walk round the outside of the bath-house and return to the main path past the remains of the commander's house. As you pass the southern corner of the bath-house look out for the carving of a headless feline figure on one of the foundation stones (below). Known rather fancifully as the 'beast of Binchester', this would have been below ground level in Roman times and therefore out of sight. Possibly a mason's mark?

Binchester - carving on town bath-house exterior

The main path now heads south-east, heading towards the ongoing excavations. You are now following the line of Dere Street, passing over the site of the south-east gate and entering the civilian settlement (vicus). On the left, the position of the fort walls are marked by low mounds (see earlier photo). From here the fort's commanding position in the local landscape is more easily appreciated.

A large temporary tent structure protects the second bath-house, where excavations had been paused at the time of my visit (2026). The view inside (below) contrasts markedly with the neatly displayed fort bath-house and at first it is hard to work out exactly what you are looking at. I was able to join a guided visit (no additional charge), but interpretation panels are also available. The ruins themselves cannot be entered for safety reasons 

Binchester - town bath-house

Two key features of the town bath-house are immediately apparent. First, the building is in a reasonable state of preservation (by Roman Britain standards), with walls some standing over two metres in height and many details remaining intact including some sections of wall plaster. Second, the visible remains are only part of the overall building which originally extended further south-east (underneath where I took the above photo) and north-east (to the right of the above image). What we can now see are just the changing room, part of the warm room, two plunge baths and a corridor (see plan below). 

Binchester - town bath-house plan (photo of on-site signage)

Some of the visible details are shown in the photo below, including the base of an arch (red arrow), section of paved floor and (in the foreground) the hot plunge bath.

The town bath-house will have more to tell us when the excavation report is published and work recommences on site. The visitor experience at the site will inevitably change - do bear this in mind if you visit. Hopefully,  more of the town bath-house will be revealed and, in the fullness of time, made accessible to visitors. 

With the rest of the fort and surrounding vicus remaining largely unexcavated, Binchester has much to add to our understanding of the Roman presence in northern England, as well as a huge potential for further development as a visitor attraction. Watch this space!   

References

Breeze, David J., and Dobson, Brian (1985) 'Roman military deployment in North England.' Britannia 16, pp 1-19.

Durham County Council (2021) Binchester Roman Fort guidebook.

Jones, Kirsty (2016) 'Excavations of a Roman fort and Vicus settlement at Binchester.' The Post Hole, 48, pp. 27-41. - link

Thanks also to guide Mark for his insightful commentary and answers to my questions.

(See also the general References page of this blog).

Text and photographs (c) Mike Hetherington. Visits to sites described in this blog are at your own risk.

Rome - Senate House (Curia)

Plain, grim-looking and oddly tall for its size, the Senate House (Curia) *** once sat at the heart of the Roman state. I wonder how many modern-day visitors to the Forum pass by without realising its importance. While the building that we see today dates from the Forum's reconstruction after a fire in 283 CE, it apparently resembles an earlier structure dating back to the time of Augustus (29 BCE). A lot of Roman history happened here. And if you can get inside, which is not always guaranteed, it is very much worth a visit.

Brief Historical Background

The present Curia building is a replacement for the Curia Julia, a Senate House planned by Julius Caesar and completed under Augustus in 29 BCE. Caesar's construction, which sat between his own new forum (some of which still survives) and the main Forum Romanum, replaced earlier buildings that nearby had been used for meetings of the Republican Senate, notably the Curia Hostilia the site of which now sits under the nearby church of SS Luca & Martina (at the back of the photo at the top of this post). The Senate also met elsewhere in the city, with Caesar's assassination taking place after a meeting at the Curia of Pompey in the square now called the Largo Argentina.

A coin of Augustus (29-27 BCE) (now in the British Museum) shows a building that may well represent the Curia Julia. While the proportions are a bit wonky, the combination of a single door, three front-facing windows and a pediment looks pretty convincing to me, although the front colonnade is now missing. Compare the coin's image with my photo of the building's facade (below). If the coin does show the Curia then it is likely that statues of soldiers stood on the corners of the roof with the whole edifice being topped by a winged victory atop a globe. The building's exterior was probably faced with ashlar masonry rather than the bricks that we see now.

Facade of the Senate House (Curia) facing the Roman Forum

Although the Senate's role became greatly diminished in the age of the emperors, its meetings still took place here until the fall of the western empire in the 5th century. Following a catastrophic fire in 283 CE (not an unusual occurrence in the ancient city), which raged along the Via Sacra destroying many buildings in and around the Forum, the Senate House was rebuilt under the emperor Diocletian (284-305 CE). But with the end of Roman rule, the building lay abandoned until it was converted into a church (S Adriano al Foro) by Pope Honorius I around 630 CE. It remained in this use, with many additions and alterations including a substantial remodelling into the Baroque style, until the 1930s.

What we see today is an attempt to restore the structure to the appearance of Diocletian's rebuild. The building was 'rediscovered' as the Curia in the late 1800s, but its restoration took place in the 1930s under the fascist rule of Mussolini, who later held a grandiose ceremony in the renovated building. Like many of Rome's ancient buildings (such as Trajan's Markets) all later additions and alterations were removed, which (to put it mildly) is an approach unlikely to find favour today. In the case of the Senate House large parts of the front and rear elevations were rebuilt with new bricks, blocking up openings associated with the church and reopening the original windows. The extent of the remodelling can be appreciated in part by observing the differences in brickwork on the present elevations (see photo above). Photographs taken at the time of the excavations and restorations, some of which are included in Katherine Bogan's thesis, show these changes in stark detail.

I'm in two minds about all of this. On the one hand, the architectural elements that were removed were themselves of historical importance - both in their own right and as part of the building's story in the passage of time. A clear choice was made (unsurprisingly, given the political context of Italy in the 1930s) to favour ancient Rome over subsequent periods of the city's history. This is basically historical vandalism, as much of the building's wider context and interest was destroyed. 

However, and apologies if this is archaeological heresy, it is also something of a thrill to see buildings like this in a form that would be (approximately) recognisable to the people of ancient Rome. Standing on the floor of the Senate House (which is thankfully of Roman date - see below) provides a connection with the past that is more tangible than I have experienced inside less 'restored' monuments like the Pantheon where the Baroque design generally reigns supreme. There are no easy answers here; my personal preference is to see something of the complexity of a site's history in order to understand its full story, but it is difficult to deny the power of some of Rome's 1930s reconstructions. The debate will no doubt continue. 

Location of the Senate House (Curia) (arrowed) in the Roman Forum

Location & Access

The Senate House is on the eastern side of the Roman Forum between the sparse remains of the Basilica Paulli (Aemelia) and the church of SS Luca & Martina, which stands on a higher level. It is located  within the main Forum and Palatine Hill site (part of the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo PArCo), but entrance to the building is not included with the basic admission price. It is one of a number of monuments (called the SUPER sites) that can only be visited with certain ticketing options. If you are visiting the Forum and Palatine Hill then I would strongly recommend that you seek one of these out: the SUPER sites also include the House of Augustus, Temple of the Divus Romulus, Church of Santa Maria Antiqua and more. At all of these locations, we saw visitors without the correct tickets being turned away. Unfortunately, having that ticket doesn't guarantee that all of the SUPER sites will be open on the day of your visit and it is possible that the Senate House will be closed. Information about opening times is on the PArCo website.

Given how long the queues can be at the Forum for day entry tickets, I would also recommend that you buy them in advance, although the booking website (link here) is not very user-friendly.

Date of my Visit

The photographs in this blog post date from my visit in 2026. 

Inside the Senate House

At the time of my visit, entry to the Senate House was by one of the two doors at the rear of the building facing towards the Forum of Julius Caesar. Work was taking place in front of the building, which was closed off by fencing - a not uncommon experience at Italy's archaeological sites! This open area, known as the Comitium, has a long history of political gatherings, serving a similar role in relation to the earlier Curia Hostilia (see above). The bronze doors (below) of the Senate House that gave access to the Comitium are replicas; the originals, which dated at least to the reign of Domitian (81-96 CE), were moved in the 17th century by order of Pope Alexander VII and are now housed in the basilica of St John Lateran.

Senate House (Curia) interior looking south-west showing the (replica) bronze doors to the Comitium, the balustrades (plutei) and part of the opus sectile floor. 

   

Once inside the building the first thing that strikes you is its height - just over 31 metres to the roof. The internal walls are bare and austere, showing the ghosts of now blocked-up windows, but would have been decorated with marble veneer to about two-thirds height with the rest probable covered with painted stucco. A small marble panel next to the north-eastern door gives an idea of what some of the internal decoration might have looked like. The ceiling, which was added in the 1930s restoration, would originally have been gilded.

Senate House (Curia) - interior

Fortunately, the original patterned marble floor (below) has been preserved. This is opus sectile, made from individually cut pieces of marble arranged to form a geometric pattern. Generally found in public buildings or particularly high status dwellings, opus sectile became more popular from the 2nd century CE onwards. This floor seems to date from the Diocletian restoration.

Senate House (Curia) - detail of opus sectile marble floor

Next to the entrance door stands a purple-red headless statue of a toga-clad figure (below) - probably the emperor Hadrian or Trajan. This is made from porphyry, a relatively scarce igneous rock that was usually reserved for imperial use. 

Senate House (Curia) - porphyry statue of an emperor

Some better-known carvings are sited at the opposite end of the hall; these are two marble balustrades or parapets, known as the Plutei of Trajan or the Anaglypha Panels, that would originally have been mounted on plinths in the square in front of the building. On the back of each balustrade is a relief showing the same scene of three animals (a pig, ram and bull) being led to sacrifice (below).

Plutei of Trajan - sacrificial animals

The other sides of the balustrades show scenes from the Roman Forum; buildings in the background can clearly be identified, which is more than can be said for the emperor as his head is missing. Suggestions range from Domitian through to Marcus Aurelius. Modern interpretations of the scenes vary. The first balustrade, known as the Audience Panel, shows somebody - probably the emperor - standing on the Rostra (denoted by the presence of a ship's prow) in front of the Temple of Divus Julius, with the Arch of Augustus and Temple of Castor in the background. A crowd has gathered.

Plutei of Trajan - the emperor (probably) addresses a crowd

At the opposite end of the relief, a seated figure on a raised podium (probably also the emperor) is being approached by a woman and child (below).

Plutei of Trajan - seated figure

The other balustrade, known as the Procession Panel, shows a line of porters carrying tablets for ceremonial burning. This may commemorate the forgiveness of debts during Hadrian's early reign.

Plutei of Trajan - burning of the debt records

One overall interpretation of these images (from Elizabeth Wolfram Thill's paper - reference below) is that by portraying scenes of the emperor peacefully carrying out his role in the Roman Forum, the Senate is making a rather pointed comment about Hadrian's enthusiasm for undertaking projects elsewhere - such as his many building works in Athens (he was a big fan of that city) or - closer to home for us - the construction of a certain Wall. It's only a theory, but it sounds plausible.

That concludes our short tour of the Senate House. But before leaving the building it is worth finding a seat and taking some time to appreciate the scale and ambience of the hall, as well the sheer weight of history that seems to pervade this extraordinary building.

Senate House (Curia) - interior looking north-east

References

Bogen, Katharine (2023) 'The Curia Julia: Its History, Materials, Use, and Preservation through the Centuries.' (University of Mary Washington student thesis) - link

Bond, Sarah E.. (2015) 'Curial Communiqué: Memory, Propaganda, and the Roman Senate House.' Aspects of Ancient Institutions and Geography. Studies in honor of Richard J. A. Talbert. pp. 84-102. -link

Canter, Howard V. (1932) 'Conflagrations in ancient Rome.' The Classical Journal 27(4) pp. 270-288. - link

Claridge, Amanda (2010) Rome - An Oxford Archaeological Guide (2nd edition). Oxford: OUP (an essential reference)

Ulrich, Roger B. (1993) 'Julius Caesar and the creation of the Forum Iulium.' American Journal of Archaeology 97 (1) pp. 49-80. - link

Wolfram Thill, Elizabeth (2022) 'Pushing Back Against the Provinces: The Anaglypha Panels in Rome' - link

(See also the general References page of this blog).

Text and photographs (c) Mike Hetherington. Visits to sites described in this blog are at your own risk.