Archeological evidence suggests that the site of the ancient warm spring was treated as a shrine by Iron Age Britons. In approximately 60 - 70 AD, during the Roman occupation of Britain, construction of the temple around the spring took place and continued for the next 300 years. After the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the sixth century, the baths fell into disrepair and silted up. What you see here is the outline of the original Roman Great Bath following restoration that began in the 12th century. The buildings that surround the baths today date mostly from the 19th century.