During the excavations at Middleborough in 1979 (ECC335), a large Period 3 Roman building (CATt Building 71) was discovered on the north side of the gravel street heading towards the Roman north gate (MCC417 = F27). Much of the structure could not be examined as it lay to the north of the excavation area, beneath the modern Sheepen Road. The area of the building studied included five rooms and a passage and it appears to have been a bath house, although the absence of any plunge baths was noticeable.

The building was probably built during the 2nd century and appeared to have been demolished c.AD 300. Demolition debris survived in Rooms 1, 2, 3a and the passage. Most of the floor had been tessellated and may have included small mosaics but in large areas the tesserae appeared to have been stripped prior to demolition.

The part of the building exposed had developed during three phases, the first phase including Rooms 1, 2, 3a and the passage on the west side. In the second phase, Rooms 4 and 3b were added in order to provide baths. Finally, Room 5 was added to the south side of Room 4 and to the east of Room 3, at a later date.

Quarter-round moulding lay around the edge of the floor in Room 2 and in 3a where it adjoined the step up to a low dais in Room 3b. This room contained traces of a mosaic pavement and at least one wall was plastered. Beneath the mosaic was an L- shaped foundation (ELM50) which was on a slightly different alignment to MCC397 and probably predated it.

Room 4 contained a hypocaust and the strong foundations of this room suggest it may have had a stone superstructure as was indicated by a fragment of masonry. The sub-floor of the hypocaust was sloped to assist drainage and supported 36 pilae. One of the pilae next to the arch of the stokehole had a metal spike set into it which may have been the remains of a grill across the hypocaust. Butting onto the outside of the Room were two substantial piers between which lay four flat tiles forming the floor of the praefurnium. To the north of this was the stake hole. Room 5 contained a tile-lined channel which implies the existence of a hypocaust in this room as well. To the south of MCC397, there were the remains of two wooden water-mains (F755 and F756=ELM51 and ELM52), the courses of which pointed towards the south wall of Room 5.

Following demolition, the foundations were extensively robbed in the early medieval period.<1>