Remains of foundations of a luxury Roman bath house was discovered by archaeologists under public park in centre of Chichester, United Kingdom.

The excavations were carried out as a result of last year’s discovery of outlines of Roman buildings through Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey. Initially, a small trench confirmed presence of Roman structures. The present dig has uncovered the remains of the hot room and its hypocaust, the pillared basement that heated it. It would originally have been part of a suite of bathrooms attached to a private house on the edge of the city. According to experts, the remains have survived because in the densely built medieval city that grew up within the Roman walls, the site remained open land, which was eventually given to the city as a first world war memorial by the Duke of Richmond. At present archaeologists do not know the date of the site but suggest it was probably third or fourth century AD.

(after The Guardian, Chichester District Council & BBC News)