The Roman Painted House is a Roman mansio, a hostel for government officials, which was built in c. 200. It was discovered in 1970 by the Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit and, as it houses some of the finest example of Roman murals in Britain (over 400 sq ft (37 m2). of painted plaster, the most extensive ever found north of the Alps), it has been called "Britain's Buried Pompeii".Above a lower dado, of red or green, an architectural scheme of multi-coloured panels framed by fluted columns is still visible. The columns sit on projecting bases above a stage, producing a clear 3-D effect. Parts of 28 panels survive, each with a motif relating to Bacchus, the Roman God of wine. This Bacchic link, and the building's proximity to the baths, port and fort, has been said by some to suggest that the Painted House was once a brothel. However, this is entirely circumstantial evidence (frescos in brothels tended to be more explicit, as in those at Pompeii, and Bacchic motifs are very commonly found in simply domestic areas) and so most academics believe the rooms are too small to have supported this line of work and instead support its designation as a mansio.
Other features of the Painted House include the Dover Gems, a medieval cut in the floor allowing the hypocaust system to be viewed and a medieval skeleton found in the nearby St Martin-le-Grand church, nicknamed "Fred" by the volunteers who keep the museum running.
The Fort Bastion
Some decades after the fort wall was constructed by the Roman army, it was supplemented with a small number of projecting towers or 'bastions'. These strengthened the walls and provided high vantage points in terms of visability and defence.
One of the bastions was placed across the remains of rooms 5 and 6 of the Painted House; the lower 4-6 feet of the bastion still survives.
Because it was constructed some decades after the wall, the construction of the bastion is quite different in form. Its external face consists of flint and sandstone, with two courses of tiles.
Traces of the Painted House can be seen projecting from beneath the plinth of the bastion.
The Fort Wall
In A.D. 270 Roman army engineers constructed a major fort of more than 5 acres, with a masssive stone wall on all four sides, and enclosing or cutting through many earlier buildings.
The 8 foot-thick west wall of the fort (still standing to some 7 feet in height) cut through Rooms 3 and 4 of the Painted House.
The wall has been robbed in the southern part of the site, but a 16 foot length survives in the north area.
The wall was built from local materials, with the external face constructed from neatly squared blocks of calcareous tufa, and the inner face mostly of roughly squared chalk blocks. The foundation consisted of irregular masses of stone, brick and mortar -- mostly obtained from the demolition of the nearby buildings. The core of the wall was roughly constructed, containing much re-used material.
The Saxon Hut
During the excavation of Room 1, detailed examination of a large rectangular area -- associated with layers of burnt debris -- showed that in about A.D. 800, Anglo-Saxons had built a large sunken hut there.
A semi-basement, about 20 feet by 12 feet, had been excavated in the earth fill of Room 1 and a wooden hut of upright boards and posts had been built -- this is typical of the Anglo-Saxon houses (grübenhauser) of the 5th to 8th centuries.
The hut had been used for weaving, as nearly 200 circular, clay loomweights have been found -- baked hard when the house eventually burned down.
Opening Times
April - September
- Sunday 1pm to 5pm.
- Other days 10am to 5pm (NOT Mondays)
Last entry 4.30pm (Also open October to March for pre-booked parties.)
Ticket Price
- Adults £2.00
- Concessions £1 (Children, Students, OAPs).
Facilities
Trains and Buses Nearby.
FREE CAR PARKING ON FORECOURT.
Contact
Dover Roman Painted House Trust,
New Street, Dover, Kent, CT17 9AJ
Telephone: Dover ( 01304 ) 203279
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