A Communal Latrine

Yes, really…that’s what the Romans liked. M and I visited the remains of Houseteads Roman Fort on Hadrian’s Wall today. We were impressed with how preserved the communal latrines are. The way the Romans dealt with the whole problem of sanitation was very well organised. There was a wooden floor above a channel, with rows of benches with holes cut out and a channel down the middle of the building containing clean water for washing. The sewage was flushed down the channels below the floor and in dry weather stored rainwater collected from the roofs of buildings was used.

We spent several hours wandering around the ruins as well as enjoying the panoramic views.