About
Jewry Wall Museum sits beside one of the largest surviving sections of Roman civilian wall in Britain - the spectacular Jewry Wall, standing 7.6 meters high and dating from approximately 130-150 CE. The museum was purpose-built in 1961 adjacent to this monumental Roman structure, which once formed part of the public baths (thermae) of Ratae Corieltauvorum, Roman Leicester's original name. The combination of visible Roman remains and museum displays creates an extraordinarily direct connection to Leicester's 2,000-year urban history.
The name 'Jewry Wall' is a corruption of 'jurats wall' (referring to medieval magistrates who met nearby), though popular legend persists that it relates to Leicester's medieval Jewish community. The wall's survival through nearly two millennia resulted from fortunate circumstances - it was incorporated into various later buildings including a medieval church (St Nicholas, still standing adjacent), which preserved rather than demolished the Roman masonry. The massive stone structure, built from local granite and limestone with distinctive red tile courses, demonstrates Roman engineering excellence and the wealth of Ratae as a major administrative center.
The museum's archaeological collections focus intensively on Roman Leicester and pre-Roman Iron Age settlement, featuring mosaics, pottery, coins, jewelry, tools, and everyday objects that illuminate life in a prosperous provincial Roman town. Particularly significant are the painted wall plaster fragments, fine imported pottery demonstrating trade connections across the Empire, and evidence of craft industries including metalworking and leather production. Post-Roman collections cover Saxon, Viking, and medieval Leicester, showing how the city evolved after Roman withdrawal in the early 5th century.
Recent archaeological displays incorporate findings from modern development sites across Leicester, demonstrating how urban archaeology continuously reveals new insights. With free admission and an unbeatable location beside one of Britain's most impressive Roman monuments, Jewry Wall Museum provides essential context for understanding Leicester's origins as a Roman provincial capital.
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Annual Visitors (2019)
40,000
Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Busiest: Saturday, Sunday
💡 Weekday mornings (11:00-13:00) for quietest museum experience. Visit Jewry Wall monument in good weather for best photography.
💡 Visitor Tips
- Start outside with the Jewry Wall monument before entering the museum - this impressive Roman structure is accessible at all times and provides essential context for understanding the museum collections inside.
- The museum is compact (two floors) and can be thoroughly explored in 60-90 minutes. Allow extra time if you're particularly interested in Roman archaeology or want to study the detailed information panels.
- Visit in good weather to appreciate the outdoor archaeological site and Jewry Wall monument properly. The Roman remains are more atmospheric in natural light and can be freely photographed.
- Combine your visit with the adjacent St Nicholas Church (medieval, partially built on Roman foundations) to see how Leicester's history layers across centuries in one location.
- Free guided tours occasionally run on weekends (check website) and provide excellent context about the Jewry Wall's significance and Roman Leicester's urban development.
- The museum has no café, but the city center is 5 minutes' walk with numerous dining options. Consider planning your visit to include a walk around Leicester's historic Old Town afterward.
- Photography allowed throughout for personal use (no flash). The Roman mosaics and painted wall plaster fragments photograph particularly well, though lighting can be challenging in some galleries.
- School holiday family activities often include hands-on archaeology activities, Roman costume dressing-up, and craft workshops. Check the website for special events if visiting with children during school breaks.
Highlights
The Jewry Wall Monument
One of the largest surviving sections of Roman civilian masonry in Britain, standing an impressive 7. 6 meters high and stretching approximately 24 meters in length. Dating from the 2nd century CE (around 130-150 CE), this spectacular wall formed part of the public baths (thermae) of Ratae Corieltauvorum, Roman Leicester.
The massive structure is built from local granite and limestone with distinctive horizontal courses of red Roman tiles (tegulae), a construction technique that provided both structural strength and visual appeal. The wall's survival through nearly 2,000 years resulted from its incorporation into later buildings, particularly the adjacent medieval church of St Nicholas.
Standing before this monumental masonry, visitors directly experience Roman engineering excellence and the scale of public architecture in a prosperous provincial Roman town.
The monument is accessible at all times from public areas and provides one of Britain's most impressive Roman remains.
Roman Bath Complex Archaeological Site
The excavated remains of the Roman bath complex (palaestra and frigidarium) directly adjacent to the Jewry Wall, showing the layout of the exercise yard and cold bath areas. Archaeological excavations in the 1930s and subsequent investigations revealed the full extent of this major public building, which would have served as an important social center in Roman Leicester.
The visible foundations demonstrate the sophisticated hydraulic engineering required for Roman bathing complexes, including drainage systems, heated rooms (caldarium and tepidarium), and cold plunge pools.
Interpretive panels help visitors understand how the various rooms functioned and how Romans used public baths as centers for exercise, socializing, and business as much as bathing. The site provides rare evidence of urban Roman life and demonstrates Ratae's status as a significant administrative and commercial center.
Roman Mosaics and Wall Paintings
Exceptional collection of Roman mosaic fragments and painted wall plaster excavated from sites across Leicester, demonstrating the sophistication and wealth of Ratae's inhabitants. The mosaics feature geometric patterns, mythological scenes, and decorative motifs executed with tesserae (small colored stone cubes) imported from across the Roman Empire.
Particularly impressive are fragments showing marine creatures, geometric borders, and floral designs that would have adorned wealthy homes and public buildings.
The painted wall plaster fragments preserve vibrant colors - reds, yellows, blues - that survived 1,800 years buried in Leicester's soil. These fragments reveal that Roman Leicester's buildings were far more colorful and elaborate than surviving stone ruins suggest. The displays explain mosaic-making techniques, paint pigment sources, and how such decorative arts reflected Roman cultural values and trade connections.
The Blackfriars Roman Mosaic
One of Leicester's most significant Roman discoveries - a large, nearly complete mosaic pavement excavated from a Roman townhouse site at Blackfriars in the 1950s. This geometric floor mosaic, dating from the 2nd-3rd century CE, features complex interlocking patterns in red, white, and grey tesserae, demonstrating the high level of craftsmanship available in Roman Leicester.
The mosaic's excellent state of preservation allows visitors to appreciate the precision and artistry of Roman mosaicists.
The design follows patterns popular across Roman Britain, showing Leicester's connection to wider Romano-British culture. Interpretive information explains how such floors were laid, what materials were used, and what their presence tells us about the wealth and social status of the building's owners.
This mosaic represents one of the finest Roman floors from the East Midlands.
Collections
Jewry Wall Museum specializes in archaeological material documenting Leicester's Roman and pre-Roman history. The collections focus intensively on Ratae Corieltauvorum (Roman Leicester), with extensive holdings of pottery, mosaics, painted wall plaster, glass, metalwork, coins, and everyday objects excavated from sites across the city.
Particularly significant are the large mosaic pavements, painted plaster fragments, and evidence of Roman industries.
Pre-Roman collections include Iron Age pottery and metalwork from the Corieltauvi tribe. Post-Roman material covers Saxon, Viking, and medieval Leicester. The museum's archaeological focus reflects its location beside the Jewry Wall, one of Britain's most significant Roman monuments.
Recent acquisitions incorporate findings from ongoing urban development archaeological projects, continually expanding understanding of Leicester's 2,000-year history.
Roman Leicester: Ratae Corieltauvorum
Comprehensive galleries exploring life in Roman Leicester from its establishment around 50 CE through to the end of Roman rule in the early 5th century. The displays trace the development of Ratae from a military fort to a prosperous civilian town (colonia), examining urban planning, public buildings including the forum and baths, domestic architecture, trade and industry, and everyday life.
Rich archaeological finds demonstrate Leicester's importance as an administrative center and commercial hub.
The exhibits explain how Roman culture transformed the local Iron Age settlement, introducing new building technologies, pottery styles, food and drink customs, and social structures. The displays successfully balance scholarly archaeological detail with accessible interpretation for general visitors.
📍 Ground Floor
The Jewry Wall and Roman Baths
Focused exhibition explaining the Roman bath complex of which the Jewry Wall formed part, using models, reconstructions, and archaeological evidence to help visitors visualize the original building. The displays detail the function of different rooms (caldarium, tepidarium, frigidarium, palaestra), the sophisticated heating and plumbing systems, and the social role of Roman baths as community gathering places.
Information panels clarify why this massive wall survived when most Roman buildings were demolished for building materials.
The exhibition contextualizes the Jewry Wall within Leicester's broader Roman urban landscape and explains its significance as one of Britain's most impressive Roman civilian structures.
📍 Ground Floor - connects to exterior archaeological site
Iron Age to Medieval Leicester
Galleries tracing Leicester's development from pre-Roman Iron Age settlement through Saxon, Viking, and medieval periods. The archaeological evidence demonstrates continuous occupation despite dramatic political and cultural changes. The displays examine how Leicester evolved after Roman withdrawal, its role in the Danelaw under Viking rule, and its growth as a medieval market town.
Material culture - pottery, metalwork, building materials, domestic objects - reveals changing technologies, trade patterns, and living conditions across a millennium. These galleries show how archaeology illuminates historical periods with limited written documentation.
📍 First Floor
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.