Canterbury Roman Museum
On Gingerguide's self-guided Canterbury audio tour, Canterbury Roman Museum is a stop worth about ~45 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type museum
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Canterbury Canterbury guide
About Canterbury Roman Museum
An underground museum built around an in-situ Roman mosaic of about 300 AD, uncovered by wartime bombing, with a hypocaust and the late-Roman silver Canterbury Treasure.
The Canterbury Roman Museum is built underground around an in-situ Roman mosaic pavement, preserved in the remains of a Roman courtyard town house. The mosaic dates from around 300 AD and the remains include a hypocaust underfloor-heating system; centuries of later building raised the ground level, so the pavement now lies below the modern street. The pavement is a scheduled monument and the house a Grade I listed building.
The Roman town, Durovernum Cantiacorum, covered about 130 acres at its height, with a theatre, temple, forum and baths. The mosaic was exposed by a German bombing raid in June 1942 and excavated in 1945–46; the museum opened in its present form in 1994. Its collections include the Canterbury Treasure, a late-Roman silver hoard found at Westgate Gardens in 1962, alongside reconstructions of a Roman house, kitchen and market.
Did you know? The museum's Roman mosaic lies exactly where it was laid around 300 AD, in a buried town house. A staircase takes you below the modern street, each step worth roughly a hundred years of history.
How much time do you need at Canterbury Roman Museum?
Around ~45 min works well for Canterbury Roman Museum — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Canterbury Roman Museum?
Yes — Canterbury Roman Museum made the cut as one of 13 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Canterbury. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Canterbury
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Canterbury Roman Museum and read more:
Day 1 of the Canterbury in 2 days itinerary →
Updated:
Hear the story of Canterbury Roman Museum
Preview the Canterbury tour free in the Gingerguide app.