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.