WHAT DID THE ROMANS DO FOR BRITAIN?
PLUMBING AND SANITATION
Where would we be without baths, running water and toilets? While access to such facilities is still sadly lacking in parts of the world today, the first drainage and sanitation systems in Britain were introduced by the ancient Romans.
At the heart of these systems was the aqueduct. While not as elaborate as the colossal stone structures erected in Rome and elsewhere, these wooden channels enabled fresh water from streams and springs to flow into towns and cities. Complementing the aqueducts were sewers, which carried away dirty water and were hidden beneath the streets. ‘Flushing’ toilets could also be found, too: at Housesteads Roman Fort in Northumberland, waste from the latrines was washed along a channel by rainwater.
Bathhouses were also important to the Romans. As well as a way to keep clean, they served as social hubs, where locals could catch up with gossip. Typically, a session at the baths would start with a trip to the, a warm pool where the bathing ritual began, followed by a stint inside the , which was like the hot tub of today. Finally, bathers would brace themselves for a dip in the chilly , which closed their freshly cleansed pores. To heat the bathhouse, each of the rooms was constructed on top of a series of brick and tile pillars, which enabled hot air from a nearby furnace to circulate beneath the floors – an innovation known as a system.
