These plain-looking office building hides a massive 1,800-year-old secret
- UK Hidden Gems
- Apr 10
- 3 min read
Hidden beneath an ordinary office building is a surprising piece of ancient history – and now you can go and see it for yourself.
From the outside, the office block looks completely normal, but it hides something very special underneath.
Underneath a modern building on Lower Thames Street in London is a protected historic site. If you go down the stairs into the basement, you’ll find the remains of a Roman house, complete with a bath house, built around the year 190.
The Billingsgate Roman House and Baths is what’s left of a large private home, discovered back in 1848. It’s the only private Roman house in London that’s open to the public, and it’s full of fascinating history.
London tour guide David Harry shared a video on TikTok showing the site. He said: "London is full of shocking surprises. This 1960s/70s office block has an enormous secret in it."
As he walked down into the building, he said: "This is a Roman house from around the year 190 – and it has a hidden secret, because along here, it’s not just a house, there’s a bath house too."
David showed viewers around the rooms, starting with the Roman ‘hot room’ which he said "would have been so hot your skin would’ve been fried off your feet." He then showed the ‘cold room’, which was used as a changing area.
Another room in the house is called the tepidarium. David explained that this was where people would meet to talk or do business, and that it "would have been comfortable but still really hot."
The Billingsgate Roman House and Baths has been kept safe for almost 2,000 years. It’s now protected by law, meaning it’s a criminal offence to damage it.
In the caption of his video, David wrote: “Found in 1848 and saved at a time when ruins were usually knocked down, this incredible Roman home has its own fancy bathhouse. It’s a mystery why the bathhouse was built here, because it would have blocked the view of the River Thames, which was just next to it."
He added: “The bathhouse was first found by the Victorians. Later, in the 1960s, when the rest of the Coal Exchange was knocked down, the rest of the secret Roman home was revealed. It’s now the only Roman private house in London you can visit, and it’s an amazing piece of history.”
David’s video has been watched over 793,000 times and has had 34,000 likes and hundreds of comments from people who couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
Remember - LeaveNoTrace!
As with anywhere outdoors, kindly keep these areas pristine and wild by taking all trash with you. The amount of complaints we have seen since the pandemic is crazy. It's really not that hard to take your rubbish with you!
Litter tends to spread, so if you see any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the hidden gem, it will help keep the area tidy.
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