Beneath the ever-present hum of the A5 and just a stone’s throw from Rugby lies a hidden chapter of Britain’s Roman past – Tripontium. Translated as the “place of three bridges”, this once-bustling Roman town, established around AD 47, thrived for nearly four centuries before slipping into obscurity in the late 4th century when the Romans left the area.
The town’s name likely nods to the trio of bridges spanning the River Avon and its tributaries, marking its strategic importance on Watling Street (aka the Iter II route), the key Roman road connecting London to the northwest of England along much of today’s A5.
Initially a military frontier post, Tripontium had evolved into a vibrant civilian settlement by the 2nd century. Archaeological excavations have unearthed remnants of grand bathhouses, administrative buildings, and a mansio – a Roman inn catering to weary travellers and officials of the cursus publicus, the empire’s courier system. The town’s layout, with strip buildings lining Watling Street, suggests a community bustling with life and a significant administrative centre of the Roman Empire in Britain.
Since the town was rediscovered by local antiquarian and amateur archaeologist Matthew Holbeche Bloxam in 1836 (who also, coincidentally, introduced the legend of William Webb Ellis inventing the game of rugby), there have been many interesting discoveries of lost relics, primarily by the Rugby Archaeological Society from 1961-2008, including Roman coins, pottery, jewellery and ironwork.
One of the most remarkable discoveries though is a hypocaust box flue tile, now on display at the Rugby Art Gallery and Museum. This tile was part of an ingenious underfloor heating system invented by the Romans, where hot air circulated beneath floors and through walls, warming rooms like the tepidarium (a warm, dry thermal room) and caldarium (a room with a hot, thermal bath) in the Roman bathhouse. It’s fascinating to see how the Romans mastered home heating – centuries before the modern systems we know today were introduced. Indeed, when the Romans retreated from our shores between the end of the 4th century and the beginning of the 5th century, incredibly, it wasn’t until the 1960s that underfloor heating technology was employed again in Britain.
Although the site of Tripontium is now on the Heritage at Risk Register and remains closed to the public today, the artifacts housed in the Rugby Art Gallery and Museum and the Lutterworth Museum ensure that Tripontium’s story continues to be told.
The Rugby Art Gallery and Museum’s Archaeology Gallery offers an immersive experience into Tripontium, recreating a Roman marketplace and showcasing artifacts that paint a vivid picture of life in the Roman town. Visitors can explore the town’s history through interactive displays, making it a perfect outing for families and history enthusiasts alike.
Written by Ben Johnson
