Archaeological excavation has shown that houses in Leicester were much the same as elsewhere in the empire. Remains of the homes of ordinary citizens have been found as well as those of the town’s elite citizens. These villas and townhouses very similar to those found in the heart of the empire.
Ordinary Roman Houses
At a basic level, the homes of the ordinary citizen of Roman Leicester would have been stone or timber. They were long, rectangular buildings rather than the roundhouse favored pre conquest. Consisting of one or two rooms, some may have also had outdoor verandas. These ordinary houses would also have had a yard or outdoor space for domestic industries and craftwork. For many in Roman Leicester, their home was also their business.
High Status Townhouses
Leicester may have been a provincial town but it also had its share of high status homes. Most were situated to the west of the town, on the high ground overlooking the river. These townhouses had many of the features of elite Roman homes elsewhere in the empire.
The town’s Jewry Wall Museum has examples of mosaic floor and wall paintings found in the remains of roman houses. They show that the elite citizens of Leicester had the money and contacts to live in the same style as their contemporaries on the continent. Judging from the height of the paintings-some came from walls of around 10 feet high- the rooms they adorned were large and spacious rooms. They employed images of theatrical scenes: birds, garlands and tragic/comic masks.
The Vine Street VillaBrent
One of Leicester’s most recent and spectacular finds was of a high status roman villa in what is now part of the city Centre. The villa started life as two long houses. In the second century AD these separate buildings were linked by the addition of an additional northern wing.
A courtyard was situated at the centre. The house also had the very best of Roman amenities. These would certainly made life more pleasant for the occupants-especially in the winter. The east wing had a bath suite with a hypocaust to heat water and a plunge pool. The same hypocaust no doubt heated the under floor heating in the new north wing, including the triclinium or dining room.
This house was probably decorated in a similar way to the examples found in the Jewry wall museum-even in the service areas. Pieces of mosaic floor in what was a corridor have been discovered. In all, it shows that the elite of Leicester, whether Roman or British were determine to enjoy the same standards of living as in Rome itself.
Sources
Connor, A and Buckley, R, 1999. ‘Roman and Medieval Occupation in Causeway Lane, Leicester’ Leicester Archaeology Monographs no 5 1999: University of Leicester Archaeological Services.
Vine St, Leicester - a Roman town house
Roman Leicester Revealed - The Stibbe Buildings Evaluation, Gt Central St
Natasha Sheldon - A writer since 2000, Natasha Sheldon holds a BA Hons in ancient history and archaeology and MA in ancient history and historiography.
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