Write Like a Roman!

 On July 31^st, as part of the ‘Wednesday Wonders’ event, which aims to showcase different aspects of the Roman Baths and its archaeological collection to visitors, I chose to show artifacts and replica items from the collection that illustrate literacy in Roman Bath and the importance of writing to the inhabitants of Aquae Sulis.

For Romans being literate was an essential part of the Roman education. A basic grasp of literacy was essential for any Roman citizen to participate in business and citizen life. We have many items from the collection at the Baths that highlight this:

·         Imitation Samian ware which shows a literate potter’s stamp – this shows that some of the craftsmen were literate and they used literacy as a means of identification on their products.

·         A fragment of an iron stylus, which was discovered at Lansdown. This highlights to us that in the areas surrounding Bath there was a high level of literacy.

·         Fragments from a Samian jar/ink pot. This would have been used when writing on wooden tablets or papyrus.

·         A fragment of a public inscription that was cut into white marble found in the Temple precinct.

  

   C

] IB CL T[

This might be translated as:

TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS [SON OF] TIBERIUS

Finally and some might say most importantly, the curse tablets embody through literacy the essential humanity of the inhabitants of Aquae Sulis and suggest to us that literacy may be more wide spread than we had initially assumed. We can see from the tablets that the inhabitants of Aquae Sulis used their literacy as a means of communicating with the Goddess Sulis Minerva. One of the Curse tablets, that I had on display from the collection, had inscribed upon it a list of names of the suspected thieves.

 

 

As part of the activity both adults and children alike were able to have a go at writing their own name in Latin, both on a replica wooden writing tablet and also on a piece of paper which they could take home!

 

 

    

 Alice Marsh, Student Placement

Lipstick, powder and paint

My topic for the Wednesday Wonders Handling Table was about the way Roman women looked their best to attract men and be more beautiful than rival women by using different natural and (what we consider poisonous) materials for beauty treatments.

Roman women were anxious about their hygiene and looks. They spent hours to attain that ‘natural beauty’ look and it had to seem it was no effort, although some writers like Ovid mentioned that the treatments were horrifying to a man, so it was better if he avoided his wife’s boudoir while she was getting ready. He also mentioned that the ingredients women used for their body sometimes were too strong and led to hair loss or skin problems. Satirists wrote many plays about women’s finery and made fun of the painted matrons who used makeup to hide their real self and old age.

Romans associated white skin with nobility therefore women avoided sun and tanning. When she went out for a walk her body slave always carried a parasol to protect her mistress against sunshine. Nero’s wife liked to use donkey milk to bathe in, as she thought it would give her soft, white skin. Clean teeth were also important and Romans made a big effort to keep them clean.

Hairstyles were different under every emperor since their wives dictated fashion. People in the countryside learned about the new styles from new coins that featured the new empress. Blond hair was extremely popular in ancient Rome, even blond slaves from Germany were worth more than others, and women most commonly dyed their hair with saffron to reach the so wanted German blondness. They also made wigs and hair extensions out of the slaves’ blond hair. Wigs and hair extensions were popular since noble women thought about their hair as ‘jewellery’. Apuleius, a Roman writer, said a woman is not dressed if the hair is not properly fashioned.

Women were also keen on hair removal as a part of their hygiene routine. They removed the hair from legs, armpits, arm and the private parts using different methods such as plucking, rubbing with pumice or shaving with a bronze razor. They plucked their eyebrows with tweezers.

Makeup was also an important element of Roman beauty. For reaching the fashionable paleness they used white chalk and white lead. Since lead was extremely poisonous many patricians died from lead poisoning. For eyeshadow they used ash and saffron. For red lips and cheeks they used the sediment of red wine, ochre or cinnabar.



Visitors were interested in my handling table and the chance to learn more about it through handling objects from the collection. It made them stop and listen. Nevertheless they realised, there is not much new under the sun about women’s vanity and the love of fashion; maybe just the ingredients are less poisonous today.

Eszter, Leicester University MA placement

Roman Jewellery

Ever wonder how many interesting stories and facts are hidden within jewellery from the past?

The idea of putting together a handling table last Wednesday was supposed to bring objects out of the stores and to give a closer look at Roman jewellery, and the purposes they served during these times.

Roman jewellery was quite simply designed. Wealthier people preferred jewellery made of gold but the most common jewellery in this period was made of cheaper metals such as bronze, iron or animal bone. Precious stones, enamel and glass usually decorated them.

The objects I chose were mostly copper alloyed jewellery such as brooches, bracelets, some rings and interesting beads, which were widely used as attachments to jewellery.

Among them I decided to use some replicas of Roman brooches found in Britain since they could represent better the real colours, the techniques and the shapes of the brooches used during the Roman period and can be handled.

Brooches are one of the most common discoveries at Roman sites in Britain. The Latin word for a brooch is fibula and this is a common term used in archaeology. Unlike most modern brooches, fibulae were not only decorative; they originally served a practical function: to fasten clothing, such as cloaks. They come in many different types, shapes and decoration. Roman brooches were mostly made in animal, trumpet, and pennanular shapes.

Rings were worn by men and women from all levels of the society. For men they were regarded as a privilege and awarded as a military distinction. Apart from ornamental rings some rings were engraved and used as seals to sign important documents while some others had keys attached for important boxes such as strongboxes.

Roman gemstones were used in all sorts of jewellery and some of them were thought to have medical properties. Among the most common semi-precious stones during Roman times were jet and carnelian. The Romans also wore other jet jewellery such as hair pins, and pendants. Carnelian beads were commonly attached by wires to jewellery while they were also widely used for making engraved gems for signet or seal rings.

Even though the exhibits did not have the shine of precious metals and stones people seemed to enjoy this time travel to Roman times through jewellery, and showed special interest in hearing additional information concerning ancient metallurgy and the functional use of jewellery.

Antri, Leicester University MA placement

Myth v Reality: Roman Animals

When I was tasked with coming up with an idea for one of the Wednesday Wonders Handling Table I was initially anxious. Public speaking is not a strength of mine, but after coming up with the theme – ‘Myth vs. Reality Animals in Rome’ everything else just seemed to fall into place.

Animals were everywhere in Rome. Whether it was a household pet like a dog, or an animal mostly mentioned in myth like a Dolphin, animals were a part of most aspects of Roman life. I took this idea and found objects like a replica dog brooch and coins depicting animals in myth like Romulus and Remus and the she-wolf.

Finding objects was the most interesting, though at times, also the most frustrating part of organising my handling table. From navigating the stores to trying to find coins that could be recognizable gathering objects for the handling table was a miniature adventure. However at the end, I had an exciting range of 16 objects to show the public.

The handling table on Wednesday was even more of an unexpected experience. However, the end result was a table that I hope people enjoyed. Certainly many people stopped to hear about the myths, like Jupiter and Europa, or to handle the many different coins.

Some people were interested in the myths; more were interested in everyday Roman life. Though relating the fact that Hannibal of Carthage brought elephants to Italy to fight in the Second Punic War was a fact that almost everyone found interesting. And still other people were only interested in handling ‘real Roman coins’.

But hopefully, no matter the reason people had for stopping at the table, they left knowing something they hadn’t before.

Jessica: Leicester University MA placement

What can we Learn from the Curses?

The Romans were highly religious and truly believed in omnipotent Gods who had the power to influence everything in both the natural and human world.
The lack of popular welfare and the high levels of warfare in the Roman Empire made prayer and religion an everyday element of Roman life.

Although the Romans had designated guardian deities for most walks of life. It is notable that Gods were not restricted to acting as merciful guardians. The many curse tablets found here at the Roman Baths show that the Gods were also to be feared as vengeful bringers of justice and as omnipotent and often violent powers.

Curse tablets are interesting artefacts which can tell us a lot about religion and literacy in the Roman world. They were usually pieces of sheet lead which were inscribed with ‘curses’ in which the writer (often through a scribe) would appeal to a deity, in this case Sulis Minerva, to exact revenge on a person who had acted against them. They were then folded up and thrown into the spring for Sulis Minerva to read and act upon.

One of the unfolded curses

That curse tablets are found in both rural and urban areas shows that they were not exclusive to the military or elites. Although some people would have used scribes, the tablets also show that literacy was pervasive in Britain and that it was not only the elites who could read and write.
The language of the tablets firstly shows that a British dialect of Latin had emerged, and secondly, the presence of Celtic loanwords on the tablets shows that it was not only the Roman immigrants writing the tablets. This shows that native Britons were beginning to adopt Roman cultural practices and that cultural assimilation was taking place.





The Vilbia Curse





The tablets also reveal much about peoples’ relationships with the gods.
The tablets were written by victims of crime and were essentially appeals for justice. Most give detail about what happened but others just name lists of suspects and must have been accompanied by oral dedications.
In theory Roman or local law ought to have dealt with these complaints depending on status, but in an under policed society deities may have been most people’s only hope. That the tablets go so far as to suggest suspects and penalties suggest that deities were revered as a parallel to the judicial or legal system which could be appealed to directly by Roman citizens. It also suggests that gods were perceived to be just, and also protective of their worshippers.

Bethan,  Cardiff University

Festival of Archaeology 2013

Last Saturday, 27 July 2013, as part of the Festival of Archaeology we took over the National Trust's lovely Prior Park for a day of fun and learning for all ages. There were 8 activities held throughout the park, all focusing on different aspects of archaeology.

Ralph Allen made his fortune reforming the British postal system in the early 1700s and is famous for his transformation of mining in the Bath area. Allen invested in the stone quarries of the Combe Down Stone Mines in the Bath area. Using stone mined in his quarries, Allen built Prior Park for his residence in 1742. His vision for Prior Park was to showcase the beauty of the limestone house overlooking Bath with extensive gardens housing numerous unique buildings. Allen hired renowned architect John Wood, the Elder, to create the plans for the house, and landscape gardener and poet, Alexander Pope to design the gardens.

The Grotto
The Grotto was the first place to explore for the festival; here you could see the reconstructed grotto, built for Mrs Allen, which became her favourite place in the grounds to read and relax. The Grotto was constructed to show off rocks and designs on the ground made from bones and fossils.

Fun fact: The Grotto is the resting place of the family’s beloved dog, ‘Miss Bounce.’

Gothic Temple
The second stop was the Gothic Temple was built in 1742 in the wilderness part of the park. Here, Allen would provide light refreshments for his friends while they were visiting the park.

Fun fact: In 1921, the Gothic Temple was purchased and moved to Rainbow Wood House, just two miles from Prior Park.

Serpentine Lake
Allen designed the Serpentine Lake to snake through the wilderness part of the park, culminating in a cascading waterfall, which Allen would release for visitor’s delight in the Cabinet before beginning the evening’s festivities. At this third stop, visitors could view before and after photographs of the excavation with a local archaeologist.
Fun fact: The Serpentine Lake was excavated between 2006-2007 by local archaeologist, Marek Lewcun, and his team.

Summerhouse
The Summerhouse was reconstructed in 2004 by a volunteer team to its original 1912 design. It was copied from the photograph that was donated. Here, visitors could watch local stonemason, Laurence Tindall carve Bath stone.

Office
For the festival, the staff room was opened to the public to show a short film about the Combe Down Stones Mines excavation and stabilization. There were also objects from the archaeological dig at the mine for visitors to handle.

Fun fact: To save the graffiti in the mines before they were filled in, archaeologists developed techniques that removed the graffiti and then they were mounted on slabs to save them.

Natural Play Area
Down by the lake, visitors were able to be an archaeologist, identifying pottery, clay pipes, coins and look at objects through history.

Fun fact: The lakes surrounding the Palladian Bridge were designed to appear as an optical allusion that made the three lakes look like one from the house.

Thatched Cottage
Allen constructed the Thatched Cottage and Ice House on the park grounds in the mid-eighteenth century. Ice from the Ice House was transported to the house on the railway used by Allen for the mines. Visitors were able to discover how archaeologist surveys the land with Richard Sermon.

Fun fact: The Ice House was used as an ammunition bunker in the Second World War.

Palladian Bridge

The Palladian Bridge was built by Allen, and is only one of four Palladian bridges remaining. Visitors were able to learn about the history of the architecture of the bridges, have a go at a Palladian bridge puzzle, learn about the graffiti on the bridge and how it relates to the graffiti in the Combe Down Stone Mines, and try making their own graffiti in a craft activity.

Fun fact: The Palladian Bridge is on the cover of the death metal band Opeth’s album, Morningrise.


Overall, even with the threat of rain, the Festival of Archaeology proved to be a fun day out for visitors of all ages learning about archaeology.  We thank the great Prior Park team for all their help and hospitality.   Amy - Leicester University MA placement

Let the Games Begin

If you ask a child today how they occupied their free time, most answers would be – playing on some type of gaming console, watching the Telly, or being outside playing some sort of sport with their mates.

Unfortunately Romans didn’t have these types of option available to them. While there is the possibility to have an outside sport like game (using a ball) during the Roman period, it was more likely you would catch a child with some sort of board game or a nut (marble) game.

The first game, entitled Orca, allows each play to have 5 nuts that they take turns to try and throw them into a bucket. The winner is determined by which ever player gets the most nuts of their original 5 into the bucket. The name Orca is a Latin term that means whale, which in this game the whale (or to be specific its mouth) is represented by the bucket.

The next game is called Delta. Delta is a Greek letter that is in the shape of a triangle (Δ). Delta also is a triangle deposit at the mouth of a river. So it is not surprising that the Delta Game Roman children played involves nuts (again) being thrown onto a triangle on the ground. The triangle is divided into 10 sections and after each child has thrown all 5 nuts, they count up their scores.

Additionally there is the Rolling Walnut Game where competitors start with 10 nuts, and roll them down a slope one at a time in an attempt to hit their opponent’s nut, which they then get to keep. The player with the most nuts wins.

Finally there is Castellatae. This begins with five small clusters of nuts (3 walnuts and 1 on top). Each player has 5 nuts and tries with five throw to disturb the nut clusters. The units he/she has managed to hit are theirs to keep. After that the clusters are reconstructed from a ‘large’ pot and the next player tries in turn. Whoever has the most nuts after 5 rounds is the winner.

These are only some games that Roman Children would play, if you are in the Bath area tonight and fancy learning about these and other games, visit the Roman Baths Museum between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm tonight, 10 July 2013, at the Great Bath where Bethan will be there explaining more games and leisure activities that the Romans participated in.

Additionally you can see these Roman games in action on 15th July 2013 at 1:30pm, on the Kingston Parade during the Beau Street Hoard Funding launch. The children playing the games have been working with the Learning & Programmes co-ordinator to learn these games and create their interpretation of Roman Coins for the event

Otter Class from Moorlands School painting their coins

Along with these games, there will be an actual Roman Priest and Roman Soldier along with our modern day Roman Gladiators – two of the Bath Rugby players



Bath Rugby's Olly Woodburn



Bath Rugby's Ben Williams









If you are in Bath and want to witness this amazing event, stop by – it is free to all and donations for the Beau Street Hoard are welcomed!

-Jenn









 







Roman Bracelets

Snakes, spinning and stone: what do they have in common? Roman bracelet designs!



One of the curatorial tasks at the Roman Baths Museum is to update the collection records. This involves checking that each object has been photographed, described and researched and preparing needed information for entry to the collection management database.

Earlier this year, a collection of eleven Roman bracelets needed to be catalogued so they were tekan off display and brought to the office where the curatorial staff and volunteers had the opportunity to look at each one closely and admire their detail and workmanship while they were being documented.

A favourite bracelet looks like a snake chasing its tail, but is not connected. The snake has an oval body, shaped mouth and ear-lugs, impressed eyes and ear-holes with evidence of scales on the tail.



Our beautiful spiral snake bracelet.

Research has revealed that its single-headed spiral form and naturalistic style mean it is possibly an early example of popular Roman spiral snake jewellery. To the Romans, the snake was a symbol of healing, regeneration and rebirth. A similar bracelet is part of the Llandovery Hoard.
Roman women and girls adorned themselves with jewellery of many different materials and designs. Most of the examples in this group are made from a flat ribbon of metal with incised, punched or notched decoration but there are also three bracelets made from wire.

Another is made of three wire strands spun together with a single strand extending at one end to form a loop. When examined closely, we noticed that one of the three strands has corroded differently and is green for its full length.

Three-tone twisted-wire bracelet.

The bracelet appears to be made from wires of different alloys and may have been three different colours when new.

Most of the bracelets are made from copper alloyed with other metals in various proportions. The different bracelet is carved from shale, a layered sedimentary rock. Although there is only a segment left, this piece shows it was originally quite large and slightly conical in shape.



Remaining segment of the shale bracelet

 It is possible this bracelet was shaped to fit the upper arm above the bicep muscle, perhaps made for a man.

All eleven bracelets are on display in the Aquae Sulis gallery of the museum so everybody can have a close look and share our admiration at their workmanship.


Nicola Pullan is a foreign correspondent from the University of Sydney.


Refs: Brailsford, Guide to the Antiquities of Roman Britain
Davenport, Archaeology in Bath, Excavations 1984-1989
Johns, The Jewellery of Roman Britain

How the Beau Street Hoard Project is Progressing

The Beau Street Hoard project is moving on apace! The project team is busy developing the application for the Heritage Lottery Fund. This involves many different elements, from liaising with external partners and public consultation to working out how to move a rather inconveniently placed gas pipe which runs through the area where we propose to install the new lift for a fully-accessible gallery.

A Beau Street Hoard Project meeting

There are many aspects to consider for the curators, designers and the facilities team (who look after the building here at The Roman Baths), as they plan how to incorporate the Beau Street Hoard display into the Aquae Sulis gallery: environmental control, lighting, display mounts and how the display will be interpreted - for example - through text panels, graphic illustrations and multi-media. Visitor flow must also be factored in – we want our visitors to be comfortable, so we need to ask how they will move around and access the new display. This process involves re-positioning existing exhibits, as well as up-dating signage. It is a complex business, but well worth it to have the Beau Street Hoard on show as part of our permanent collection.

We have been working closely with Event Communications, an exhibition design company, who have designed the redisplay of the museum over the past six years. Daniel Warren is the senior designer working with us to display the Beau Street Hoard to its best advantage within the gallery. Daniel describes one idea they have: ‘We imagined an array of coins rising up out of the ground in an intriguing pattern. Closer inspection will reveal they are arranged in very loose groupings through which we can explore aspects of Roman money. Mounts will be minimal and the coins will appear to float within the case. In this way, the overall feel of the display will be light, airy and mobile, rather than a heavy clump of coins in an uninspiring pile.’

Currently, we are consulting members of the public, both in the museum and off site, as to what sort of display they’d like to see, so we can incorporate their ideas into the final design.

The story of the Beau Street Hoard’s discovery in Bath will also be told within the display. Interpretation will include text-based panels and an audio visual exhibit demonstrating the fascinating conservation process undertaken by our partners in the British Museum Conservation Department.

Part of the Beau Street hoard display in the British Museum

Watch this space for updates and if you haven’t seen the hoard, come and see our free, temporary display in the Sun Lounge of the Roman Baths or, if you’re closer to London, pop in to see the display in the Citi Money Gallery at the British Museum.

Saira Holmes – Project Officer

The Roman Baths' Museums at Night 2013

The Roman Baths' Museums at Night 2013

Once again the Roman Baths are taking part in the Culture24 event of Museums at Night. There will be many (at least 500) museums involved this year over a three day period; from 16 May 2013 to 18 May 2013.

This year the Roman Baths will stay open late, 6pm-9pm (last entry 8pm) to let visitors have a wonderful night enjoying live music around the site while viewing the Great Bath in torch light. There will even be a Drop-in event to create your very own musical instrument!

This blog is going to give you a bit of background information of the music and instruments you will hear throughout the museum.

Period: Ancient Roman
Musician: Michael Levy
Instrument: Lyre

To learn more about Michael or Lyre Music please visit: http://www.ancientlyre.com/


The Lyre

The instrument that has been known as a lyre was mentioned in a biblical context but for this introduction to the instrument we will start like any good story starts, in Greece and the Middle East. There are inscriptions, pots, and paintings that date back thousands of years indicating this musical instruments use within the culture.

*Fact- did you know that when archaeologist found Minerva’s head, which is on display in the museum, they originally thought it was the head of Apollo?

The lyre is not often seen in orchestras or bands these days. However they did pave the way for today’s modern string instruments. The closest instrument to a lyre you will find right now is the Harp. The size is vast between the two instruments but if you look at them, you will notice that the shapes are similar.

Period: Medieval
Musicians: Waytes and Measures
Instruments: Tabor, Percussion, Fiddle, Hurdy Gurdy, etc.

To learn more about Waytes and Measures visit: http://waytesandmeasures.org.uk/

With the introduction of medieval instruments and music we start to head towards sounds that could be mistaken for modern. This is the time of the traveling troubadour that created love poems for maidens and triumph songs for warriors.

This was also the time that musical notation started to form, music theories were produced, and modern musical practice was born.

Period: Modern
Musicians: Lambeth Swing
Instrument/genre: Jazz

To learn more about Lambeth Swing or here more songs visit: http://www.jameslambeth.co.uk/

Jazz has its roots in America during the 20th century. Jazz itself is hard to define; it has taken many different shapes and can very even between State lines in the US. There is a key to Jazz; it has to move you, it has to have a bit of soul. But it is not what you would call soul music, that’s a completely different genre.

While Jazz is still very much around today, you may recall a popular era in which Jazz was predominate; the 1920s. To have a Jazz group you need at least three instruments (but you are not limited to three) which should be: a brass (usually trumpet), a double bass, and a percussionist.

If you are looking for something to do Friday night, 17 May, visit the Fashion Museum where you can get a tour of the museum then either – Have a Champagne tasting (£22 per ticket) or Learn to dance like Jane Austin did (£5 per ticket). Remember to book through – www.bathboxoffice.org.uk/

If you are out of the area those days check on the Culture24’s website www.museumsatnight.org.uk to find a museum near you to enjoy some fun during the night.

Jenn

Who’s who in the Roman Baths Bloggers?

You would be forgiven in believing that the RBM collections team was huge group of people, because of the number of different names that appear as bloggers.

This is not the case! Of paid staff, there are only 2 of us. But although our office is small, we welcome 10-13 enthusiastic volunteers each week and around 7 placements from different levels of education each year.

The age range is from 17-retired. Some are here to improve their CV (and those that do, have gone onto great jobs in museums, teaching and even archaeological units), others do it just for fun.



Our summer trip 2012 : once a year we have a study trip to a site or museum where we try not to enjoy ourselves too much

And as Roman Baths and Bath are well known abroad, we get a great mix of different nationalities: so far only the continents Africa, South America and Antarctic (and as our office tends to be quite hot, inhabitants of the last continent would not be accepted) have not been represented. Students studying archaeology, museum studies or heritage management come to us and, despite the perilous jobs market nearly all have a job in their chosen sector.

Nicola, who came all the way from Sydney to do her placement with us

Volunteers work on many different tasks: cataloguing archaeological material, or historical photographs, helping with new displays, research and events, for Science Week, and summer Tuesday Times Tables, our team prepare handling tables to share their favourite objects and subjects with visitors.



Penny: her nose in a book improving her already extenisve knowledge of Bath history




Tony on  placement with us from UWE

 All these keen, lovely people are encouraged/persuaded/even bribed with cake to write a blog and get their name “out there” and ensure a little part of them lives on in Bath, even when they’ve gone to paid employment or back home.

Yes, we do have enough chairs...but sometimes the floor is better...

If you are interested in joining us, we are usually booked up with volunteers and placements 6 months ahead so get in touch as early as possible! As you will have seen from previous blogs are collections and the work we do with them are varied, so if you have a particular skill or enthusiasm for a type of object: you never know it might just be the one we need help with!


Susan, Collections Manager

History in the Making: Weston’s Heritage Day

One year ago, Michael McCarthy put in a call to the Roman Baths with the dream of having a Heritage Day for the Parish of Weston.

A year later, on 20th April 2013, Weston celebrated the first Heritage Day with the help from local historians, the Moravian Church Hall, Students working on a project from the Bath Spa University, and members of Bath and North East Somerset Council's Heritage Services Team from the Roman Baths and Record Office, and the Libraries Team.

A happy Susan and Jenn staffing the Roman Baths display at Weston

Items brought from the Roman Baths collection included fragments of Roman and Medieval pottery including jugs, cooking pots, and Roman roof tiles found during excavation work at Purlewent Drive in the early 1900s. Additional archaeological finds include coins from the Roman and the Georgian eras, and the famous Iron Age Spoons.

  



Replicas of the Iron Age spoons from Weston



The spoons are thought to have been used as a divining tool the Celts used to tell the future. The theory is that by placing the spoons one on top of the other, the diviner would then blow a liquid (blood, wine, or water) into the whole of the top spoon and when they were separated, the bottom spoon would hold a pattern that could be used to predict a future event.

Minister of the Moravian Church, Beth Torkington, is intrigued by the Spoons

Additional items that the Roman Baths displayed were historic photographs of the hospital when it opened in the 1930s, a property tax slip, and post cards of the area. The most intriguing postcard holds the image of the Brewery which at the beginning of the Heritage day could not be located in the current plans of Weston. But that’s what is amazing about a community coming together with information that not everyone has access too. It was after a visit to the table by the Tithe Maps & Weston Estates historian Tony Bray with his map from the 1800s that the Brewery was discovered to be located on Trafalgar Road.

Some of the pottery found in Weston

Every table was a popular stop, including the other members of the Heritage Services team from the Record Office at the Guildhall. Residents were interesting in picking the brains of Colin and Lucy.

Colin from the Record Office shares his knowledge

This event was not just about what items could be brought to Weston, but about how the community came together to explore their history and share their knowledge with others and preserve it for the future. The Bath Chronicle, who wrote up a nice article from the day, quoted Michael McCarthy ‘...this day will inspire a younger generation to continue to tap into the rich seam of local history that still remains to be uncovered.’

Lucy explains the Parish Register indexes

Even the MP of Bath, Don Foster, stopped by to open the event, stopping at every table to chat with the presenters, and spending time with the locals by having some tea and cake.

Michael McCarthy welcoming MP Don Foster

The final total count of visitors to the Heritage Day was estimated to be around 200 members of the community. Michael is hopeful to have another Heritage Day next year to explore other historic finds of the area and possible, if we are lucky, new finds as well.


Jenn