Archaeological excavation in Leicester has uncovered the remains of the homes of ordinary citizens as well as those of the town’s elite. These villas and townhouses are very similar to those found in the heart of the empire.

Ordinary Roman Houses

At a basic level, the homes of the ordinary citizen of Roman Leicester were made of stone or timber. They were long, rectangular buildings rather than the roundhouse favoured pre-Roman conquest. 

Consisting of one or two rooms, some may have also had outdoor verandas. These ordinary houses would also have had a yard or outdoor space for domestic industries and craftwork, as for many in Roman Leicester, their home was also their business.

High-Status Townhouses

Leicester may have been a provincial town, but it also had its share of high-status homes. Most were situated in the west, on the high ground overlooking the River Soar. These townhouses shared many features of elite Roman homes elsewhere in the empire.

The town’s Jewry Wall Museum has examples of mosaic floors and wall paintings found in the remains of Roman houses. They show that the elite citizens of Leicester had the money and contacts to live in the same style as their contemporaries on the continent. Judging from the height of the paintings — some came from walls of around 10 feet high — the rooms they adorned were large and spacious. They employed images of theatrical scenes: birds, garlands and tragic/comic masks.

The Vine Street Villa

One of Leicester’s most recent and spectacular finds was a high-status Roman villa in what is now part of the city centre. The villa started as two long houses, but in the second century AD, these separate buildings were connected by an additional northern wing.

A courtyard lay at the centre of the house, which was also equipped with the best Roman amenities. The east wing had a bath suite with a hypocaust to heat water and a plunge pool. The same hypocaust no doubt heated the underfloor heating in the new north wing, including the triclinium or dining room. These facilities would undoubtedly have made life more pleasant for the occupants — especially in the winter. 

This house was probably decorated similarly to the examples found in the Jewry wall museum — even in the service areas. Pieces of mosaic floor in what was a corridor have been discovered. Overall, the villa shows that the elite of Leicester, whether Roman or British, were determined to enjoy the same standards of living as in Rome itself.

Resources

Connor, A and Buckley, R, 1999. ‘Roman and Medieval Occupation in Causeway Lane, Leicester’ Leicester Archaeology Monographs no 5 1999: University of Leicester Archaeological Services.

Vine St, Leicester — A Roman Townhouse 

Roman Leicester Revealed – The Stibbe Buildings Evaluation, Gt Central St