Welwyn By Pass Rd, Welwyn, AL6 9FG
Step back in time 1,800 years to discover this fascinating remains of this ancient Roman Bath House.
Book Tickets
Welwyn Roman Baths are open on Saturdays 10am-4pm and admission can be paid at the door. We are also open on specific days during school holidays. Check the booking calendar for details.
We are taking part! Join in the national Chaotic History Trail this half term
Totally Chaotic History Museum Trail
Explore the amazing world of Roman Britain at Welwyn Roman Baths this October half term. The Totally Chaotic History Museum Trail from Kids in Museums and Walker Books celebrates the release of hit historian Greg Jenner’s new book, Totally Chaotic History: Roman Britain Gets Rowdy, with expert interruptions from Dr Emma Southon and illustrations by Rikin Parekh.
Where: Welwyn Roman Baths
When:12-4 Tuesday 29th October to Thursday 31st October
Included in general admission ticket price
Discover intriguing objects, give yourself a Roman name and design your own Roman outfit. Complete the activity sheet to receive your Totally Chaotic History sticker!
Design your own mosaic and share your drawing on Twitter/X or Instagram with the hashtag #TCHMuseumTrail and tag @kidsinmuseums for a chance to win a copy of the book and a Double Art Pass plus Kids donated by Art Fund. Find out more on the Kids in Museums website: https://bit.ly/TCHromanbritain
The Roman baths beneath the A1(M) in Welwyn, Hertfordshire are a scheduled ancient monument, part of the Dicket Mead Roman villa complex. Discovered in 1960 by Tony Rook, excavations by the Welwyn Archaeological Society revealed a bath complex within a larger villa. This bath house is preserved under the motorway embankment within a steel vault. The villa dates from the early third century and fell out of use in the mid-fourth. The site is open to the public on Saturdays and on selected days in school holidays, offering family-friendly, hands-on learning and fascinating experiences up close with real archaeology.
The baths feature three key rooms: the unheated frigidarium (cold room), the warm tepidarium, and the hot caldarium. A sophisticated hypocaust system provided underfloor and wall heating. Romans would progress through the rooms, using oil and a curved tool called a strigil for cleansing in the hot room. They’d rinse in plunge pools, hot then cold.
The baths weren’t just about hygiene. For wealthy Romans, bathing was a time-consuming social ritual. It could easily occupy an entire afternoon, combining relaxation with conversations and even business dealings.