About
Canterbury Roman Museum is built around the remarkably preserved remains of a Roman townhouse, discovered during excavations in the 1940s after wartime bombing exposed the foundations of Durovernum Cantiacorum — the Roman name for Canterbury, one of the most important cities in Roman Britain. The museum, located underground beneath the modern city centre on Butchery Lane, presents the in-situ remains of the Roman house alongside a rich collection of archaeological material that brings to life the daily experience of Roman Canterbury across nearly four centuries of occupation.
The centrepiece of the museum is a magnificently preserved Roman mosaic pavement, still in the position where it was laid nearly two thousand years ago. The mosaic, with its intricate geometric designs and sophisticated colour palette, is one of the finest examples of Roman decorative art surviving in southern England and provides vivid evidence of the wealth and cultural sophistication of Canterbury's Roman elite. The hypocaust — the underfloor heating system that warmed the rooms of the Roman townhouse — is also visible, demonstrating the engineering ingenuity that made Roman domestic comfort possible even in the British climate.
Beyond the in-situ remains, the museum presents an extensive collection of objects recovered from archaeological excavations across Canterbury — pottery, glass, metalwork, coins, jewellery, and personal items that document every aspect of Roman life in this important provincial city. Interactive reconstructions allow visitors to explore what the Roman town would have looked like, walk through a reconstructed Roman market, and handle replica objects to understand the materiality of Roman daily life. The reconstructions are based on meticulous archaeological evidence and provide a particularly engaging experience for younger visitors.
Canterbury was founded as a Roman settlement shortly after the invasion of AD 43, and it quickly grew to become one of the principal cities of the province of Britannia. Its strategic position on the road from the Channel ports to London (Londinium) made it a natural hub of commerce and administration, and the archaeological evidence shows a thriving urban community with substantial public buildings, a theatre, temples, bathhouses, and grand private residences whose quality testifies to the prosperity of the city's inhabitants.
The museum's underground setting — literally beneath the streets of modern Canterbury — creates an atmospheric experience that connects visitors directly with the Roman city that lies beneath the medieval and modern layers of one of England's most historically layered cities. The museum is managed by Canterbury Museums and Galleries alongside the Beaney House of Art and Knowledge and other heritage sites in the city.
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Highlights
The Roman Mosaic Pavement
The museum's centrepiece is a magnificently preserved Roman mosaic floor, still in the exact position where it was laid nearly two thousand years ago in the reception room of a wealthy Roman townhouse.
The mosaic features intricate geometric designs in a sophisticated colour palette of reds, blues, whites, and blacks that demonstrate the artistic accomplishment and material prosperity of Canterbury's Roman elite. This is one of the finest in-situ Roman mosaics accessible to visitors in southern England, and its survival through centuries of subsequent building, destruction, and reconstruction above it is remarkable.
The mosaic provides direct visual evidence of the cultural sophistication that Roman civilisation brought to Britain.
The Roman Hypocaust Heating System
Visible alongside the mosaic pavement, the remains of the Roman hypocaust — the ingenious underfloor heating system that was one of the defining technologies of Roman domestic architecture — demonstrate how Roman engineers solved the challenge of heating homes in the British climate. The system worked by circulating hot air from a furnace beneath raised floors supported on small pillars (pilae), warming the rooms above while drawing smoke and fumes through hollow tiles in the walls.
The Canterbury hypocaust is well-preserved and clearly interpreted, allowing visitors to understand a technology that would not be surpassed in Britain until the development of modern central heating nearly two millennia later.
Durovernum Cantiacorum — Roman Canterbury
Canterbury was one of the most important cities in Roman Britain, and the museum presents a comprehensive picture of urban life in Durovernum Cantiacorum through archaeological finds recovered from excavations across the city. The Roman town was established shortly after the invasion of AD 43 on the site of an existing Iron Age settlement, and it grew rapidly to become a substantial walled city with public buildings, temples, a theatre, bathhouses, and prosperous private residences.
The museum's displays document every aspect of Roman urban life — government, commerce, religion, entertainment, domestic comfort — through objects that range from fine imported pottery to everyday tools and personal ornaments.
The Reconstructed Roman Market
One of the museum's most popular features is an interactive reconstruction of a Roman market street, based on archaeological evidence from Canterbury and comparable Roman towns. Visitors can explore market stalls selling the goods that would have been available in Durovernum — imported wine and olive oil, locally produced pottery, metalwork, textiles, and foodstuffs — and handle replica objects to understand the materiality of Roman commercial life.
The reconstruction is particularly engaging for children and families, providing a tangible and memorable introduction to the Roman period that complements the archaeological displays.
Sound effects and atmospheric lighting enhance the immersive experience.
Collections
Roman Canterbury: Life in Durovernum
The principal permanent display presenting the in-situ Roman remains — mosaic pavements and hypocaust system — alongside archaeological objects and interactive reconstructions that bring Roman Canterbury to life.
The Roman Market Reconstruction
An interactive reconstruction of a Roman market street with hands-on activities, replica objects, and atmospheric elements that allow visitors to experience the sights and sounds of Roman commercial life.
Current Exhibitions
An exhibition exploring the ongoing archaeological discoveries being made beneath Canterbury's streets, demonstrating how new finds continue to reshape our understanding of the city's Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and medieval past.