Haddon

Work on the Roman and Saxon site at Haddon took place during 1991-4 and revealed a complex site that consisted of a small Roman farmstead that began life some time around the early second century and continued to the very late 4th century.

 

The main structure appears to have consisted of an aisled building – in part having a tesselated floor. The main focus of the excavations, however, was concentrated on a small isolated bath house which was built some time in the late 3rd century. The original design of two separate rooms, one with a hypocaust and the other with a cobbled and surfaced floor which was intended to receive a similar heating arrangement,  was never fully developed and part way through the building process the design was changed. These changes consisted of a blocking to the heating apertures between the two rooms so that only one functioned as a heated room. The other room remained with its surfaced floor and may have functioned as a changing room or even fuel store.

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At some point in the very early 5th century a new population appears to have moved onto the site . This new occupation is represented by early Saxon pottery and other finds such as comb fragments and beads. Where the Roman population had moved to is uncertain. It may be that they moved to within the walled area of Durobrivaefor protection in a period of uncertainty, which the late 4th century seems to have brought, or they had moved to farmsteads nearby.