Archaeologists discovered a unique cold bath in England

The ancient Romans loved to dive into icy water.

Archaeologists have discovered a unique 18th-century cold bath beneath the meeting halls of the English city of Bath. Excavations have revealed a structure that may be one of a kind underneath the building, which was used for a variety of leisure activities.

The therapeutic value of ice baths or cold water immersion was recognized long before wellness gurus and celebrities extolled them on social media, writes The Guardian. Even the ancient Romans loved to swim in the “frigidarium”.

It has now emerged that the men and women of 18th-century Bath could visit their local meeting halls to take a dip in the icy water, as well as engage in other forms of leisure and pleasure.

Archaeological excavations beneath 18th-century bathing halls have revealed that it may be the only cold bath of its kind, notes The Guardian.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, meeting halls were places of entertainment, conversation, dancing and gambling in many fashionable cities across the country.

Bath and other English resort towns, famous for their hot mineral water, have become popular places for swimming and “water treatments”. But in the 18th century, medical practitioners also recommended regular cold baths as beneficial for a variety of physical and mental ailments, including gout.

There was a sharp increase in the number of small swimming pools and cold baths in private homes and estates, as well as in public establishments in Bath and other cities. The location of one of them in the assembly rooms suggests that it was aimed at those who wanted a more exclusive, private cold bath experience.

Bath’s Assembly Halls, now in the care of the National Trust, were completed in 1771. The New Prose Guide to Baths for 1778 noted a “spacious cold bath with comfortable changing rooms,” as well as facilities for billiards, coffee, gambling, balls and concerts.

The cold bath is in the center of a suite of three rooms under one end of the ballroom. There are dressing rooms on either side of it.

The excavation involved dismantling a later ceiling that had been installed over a cold bath and removing tons of rubble to reveal steps leading down, as well as a niche that may have contained a statue or sculpture.

Bruce Eaton from Wessex Archaeology, who supervised the excavation, said: “Although historical records indicated that a cold bath was buried under the meeting rooms of the Bath, we had no idea what the preservation of the bath would be like. The building suffered at the hands of the Luftwaffe and the rooms were reconstructed in the late 20th century, but after painstakingly excavating tons of concrete and rubble we were able to see the original structure in its entirety. It’s amazing to be able to piece together this rare archaeological evidence of an 18th century cold bath with socio-historical accounts of the time.”

Tatiana Leboff, project supervisor at the National Trust, said: “The cold bath in the assembly rooms is very unusual. This is a rare, if not unique, surviving example and may have been the only one ever built in the assembly hall.”