University of Leicester archaeologists explore city’s Roman past

The stories behind Leicester’s rich Roman heritage have been compiled into a book by University of Leicester archaeologists to mark the reopening of the city’s Jewry Wall Museum.

The museum re-opened its doors this month following a major transformation which has brought Leicester’s Roman history to life through a series of interactive and immersive multimedia exhibits.

Content at the St Nicholas Circle attraction has been developed with the help of the University, which has shared its expertise on everything from Roman hairstyles and clothing to language and religion – ensuring the displays are both entertaining and educational.

Mathew Morris, project officer at University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS), has been digging up and researching Roman Leicester for the past 20 years and has been an adviser to the Jewry Wall Museum project, along with his University colleague Sarah Scott, Professor of Archaeology. As director of the University’s Heritage Hub, Sarah also helped the museum designers to access University research expertise on a wide range of subjects.

The duo’s painstaking research didn’t just inform the exhibits but can now be perused in their book Exploring Roman Leicester, The Story of the Jewry Wall Baths.

Available to buy in the museum giftshop, the book tells the story of the Roman public baths which are located on the site, including the iconic Jewry Wall, which is the most visible evidence of Leicester’s past as a regional capital of Roman Britain.

Mathew said: “What stands out for me is that, remarkably, the Jewry Wall is still here. It had a lot of close shaves, going all the way back to the seventeenth century where records show it was threatened a few times with demolition by various parties, then people saved it because of its antiquity.

“Ironically, the town’s authorities wanted to build a swimming baths on the site in the 1930s, which led to the site’s excavation and the discovery of a monument they decided to preserve as a heritage attraction.”

Professor Scott said: “In the eighteenth-century people were concerned that children playing in the churchyard and climbing on the wall might cause damage. It was threatened again in the 1890s when plans were made for a new railway station in Leicester. Local people and organisations campaigned to save Jewry Wall, and it was the vicar of St Nicholas Church who saved the day.

“What is striking for me, is the curiosity and drive of the people of Leicester across the centuries who have campaigned to preserve, document and celebrate the Jewry Wall, and understand its significance.”

Mathew agrees. He said: “That comes out all the way through, it’s the people’s wall, because it’s the authorities that always seemed to want to demolish it and it’s the people who stood up and saved it.”

He added: “It’s such an important site. The wall is the largest piece of Roman public architecture still standing in Britain, and Dame Kathleen Kenyon’s excavation of the site in the 1930s was groundbreaking, creating a precedent for archaeological exploration which today makes Leicester one of the most excavated cities in Britain.”

The book was funded by a Heritage Fund award secured by the Friends of The Jewry Wall Museum with additional support from the University of Leicester.