Wroxeter and the transformation of late-Roman urbanism

In the densely settled landscape of England, there is seemingly little scope for the investigation of urban decline during the Roman period. Most of the major towns established in the Roman period have been almost continuously occupied, leaving little that is available for study or that has not been severely disturbed by later activity. The Roman city of Viroconium Cornoviorum, which lies beneath the medieval village of Wroxeter, Shropshire, represents one of the few exceptions to this rule. ¹ Excavations have been carried out on the site since 1859, concentrating on the public baths complex on insula 5, whose excavation was completed in a long campaign lasting from 1955–90 under the direction of Dr Graham Webster (baths and macellum sites) and Philip Barker (baths basilica) ² (Fig. 5.1). Figure 5.1 Plan of Wroxeter, based on aerial photographic and excavated evidence https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315235882/458a99d3-e7cb-4300-9028-c6c1adacc9ce/content/fig5_1_OB.tif"/> (reproduced by permission of English Heritage)