This is a sponsored article on behalf of the City of London Corporation.
Underfloor heating, riverside views and private baths — all in Zone 1. The well-heeled residents of Londinium certainly boasted some luxurious lodgings, if Billingsgate Roman House and Baths is anything to go by.
With ruins dating back to the second century AD, this fascinating archaeological site has survived nearly two millennia of buildings, bombings and fires. And now, you can visit it. Enter a seemingly ordinary office building, meet your City Guide, and begin your descent beneath Lower Thames Street, where the remains of this grand Roman gaff have been preserved in situ.
While the City is home to a wealth of Roman history, including the Roman amphitheatre and London Mithraeum, the bathhouse is the only surviving domestic building from the Roman era in the capital that can still be accessed. It was unearthed in 1848, when work began on a new coal exchange for London. But Victorian industrialists weren't the first to have stumbled upon its ruins, as evidenced by the discovery of a mid-5th century Saxon brooch dropped on the roof tiles, likely by some long forgotten scavenger.
Now it's your turn to have a nose around. Get an incredible glimpse at ancient life on a 45 minute guided tour at Billingsgate Roman House and Baths. Tours run every Saturday from 6 April until November, setting off at 11am, 12noon, and 1pm, and cost just £9 per person plus booking fee. Book your trip to ancient London here.
