In the year 43 AD Britain was invaded by the Romans and by 75AD they had built a religious spa complex on the site, which later developed into a bathing and socializing center. Using the hot mineral water that rose through the limestone beneath the city, channeled through lead pipes, the Romans created a series of chambers including the baths, ancient heated rooms and plunge pools. People travelled across the country to bathe in the waters and worship at the religious temple. After the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the early 5th century, the baths were neglected before being destroyed by flooding.
In the 17th-century, doctors began to prescribe the drinking of the thermal waters for internal conditions and illnesses. The first Pump Room opened in 1706, allowing patients to access water directly from the spring. In 1878 it was discovered the Roman remains of the baths, and worked to uncover these over the next few years. The site was opened to the general publics in 1897 and has been excavated, extended and conserved throughout the 20th century.
