1949

Continued from scan 55

… to be another bath establishment with central heating and plunge baths. Two of the plunge baths have been cleared. They both have mosaic floors and are in exceptionally good condition. In addition to the ground-floor rooms, I think we shall find in the basement as many as three hypocausts, rooms that served as large flues, distributing the hot air wherever needed. The draft carried the hot air from the furnace, or praefurnium, as it was called, into the hypocausts. The air then passed out of the rooms to be heated above through hollow brick-lined walls of the rooms. We have found one of the hypocausts with fourteen of the fifteen pillars which supported the floor of the room above still intact. As yet we have not made any attempt to clean out the others. The floors of one of the rooms is in marble slabs of irregular size; the others where cleared, are in mosaic. The room which produced so many good blocks can be restored, Mr. Hill thinks, to something like its original condition and made to serve as a small local museum. We think it should add greatly to what already is an interesting and imposing site. As only a small portion of the structure has been cleared it is not possible at the present stage to send you a plan, but I will keep you informed as to progress being made as we go along.

I was delighted to hear that Rodney is coming down for a visit in May and we will be looking forward to his arrival.

Yours as ever

Handwritten: signature

The Director, The University Museum, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.A.

GHMcF/ChP