Canterbury Roman Museum Canterbury, Kent

Explore the Roman town beneath your feet. Canterbury’s underground Roman Museum is built around the remains of a Roman town house with mosaics preserved where excavated.

Descend 100 years with each step or by lift to the Roman street level. Stroll through the marketplace, look inside recreated Roman rooms and discover amazing finds including a hoard of hidden treasure.

See how little has changed since Roman times when viewing rare tools, or how much could be made of simple items like bones. Be amazed by collections of intricate Roman glass flasks and bottles, jewellery and a silver spoon hoard.

Handle, sort and classify real Roman pottery fragments and other objects relating to Roman:

• everyday life
• building materials
• rubbish
• mosaics

Museum highlights include Roman:

• mosaic floors preserved where excavated.
• hypocaust (underfloor heating system) preserved where excavated.
• digital reconstruction of a Roman town house.
• rare cavalry horse-harness fittigs, one of only two sets in the world.
• rare tools – Roman spade, carpenter’s square and mason’s trowel.
• gateway hinge, part of Canterbury’s Riding Gate on Watling Street to Dover.
• building materials including roof tiles with Roman dog-paw prints.
• painted plaster fragments with flowers, patterns and dancer’s feet.
• finds from Canterbury’s Roman baths, including gaming counters, toiletry items and bath lining.
• figurines of gods including horse goddess and Gaulish male.
• metal vessels, ewers and dishes used in religious ceremonies.
• pottery, imported fine Samian ware and locally-made pots.

The impressive pillared entrance is in Butchery Lane and very close to the Cathedral.