The Roman Painted House, Dover. Image copyright: Historic England Archive
DDC is welcoming news that The Roman Painted House has been added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register following a detailed assessment of the site.
It has been added to the Heritage at Risk Register to highlight the monument’s vulnerability. DDC and the Dover Roman Painted House Trust (the previous operator of the site and monument since the 1970s) were concerned about the declining condition of the building and monument, especially the monument’s painted surface.
DDC requested and instigated related investigations in June/July 2023 and The Dover Roman Painted House Trust made the difficult decision to return the building, grounds, contents and monument to DDC in October 2023, via a deed of surrender.
Significant and essential environment and remedial works were carried out – in the range of £85,000 – to safely and compliantly reopen the site to the public in time for Heritage Open Days. Since the weekend of its opening (14-15 September 2024) over 2,500 visitors have come to see the monument with £410 raised in donations.
Recent works to the Roman Painted House to make it compliant and safe have included new electrics, new lighting, new toilets, structural repairs, a new fire escape, stair repairs, a handrail replacement, vision panels, a new floor and other health and safety works which has included the removal of mould and environmental monitoring. There will also be a programme of ongoing works.
The Council and Historic England are working together to improve the visitor experience and interpretation of the Painted House and putting heritage at the heart of regeneration in Dover. The Roman Painted House Trust will also be actively involved in developing this popular tourist attraction.
Future plans include submitting a funding application to support a major ‘Roman Dover’ project. This would not only better protect this scheduled monument but would also publicly open and protect Dover’s Roman Bath House, to support significant ongoing regeneration and create one of the best Roman sites in Britain.
The ‘Roman Dover’ capital project would be located within a dedicated and sustainable cover building with new interpretation and education space.
The current attraction is open to the public, free of charge, every Saturday (10am-4pm) until the end of November and was recently open Monday 28 October to Friday 2 November for half term week. It will then be open from February half term holiday 2025 to the end of November 2025 in line with other heritage-based attractions. Guided educational visits and group tours are available to book at a small charge.
Cllr Kevin Mills, Leader of Dover District Council said: “We fully appreciate the expert advice and support of Historic England as we work together to maintain and preserve the Roman Painted House for future generations. This is part of our broader vision to develop Roman Dover as there is still so much more to uncover and preserve including the Roman Lawn and Bath House that’s adjacent to the site. This is key for the regeneration of Dover, as part of our ongoing and significant investment in heritage, tourism, and culture.”
Alice Brockway, Development Advice Team Leader, Historic England, said: “The Roman Painted House is an extraordinary survival and has so much potential to help bring Dover’s ancient past to new audiences. The scheduled monument is now in need of further conservation and investment to secure its future, building on the good work carried out by the Council recently. Adding the site to the Heritage at Risk Register is a positive step - the Register focuses attention on places in need of support and can open up opportunities for funding and bring people together.
“The revitalisation of the Roman Painted House is one of many exciting heritage-led projects in Dover that will be central to the area’s regeneration. We look forward to working with Dover District Council and the wider community to develop their plans for the site.”
Notes
Following its excavation in the 1970s, the Roman Painted House was leased to the Dover Roman Painted House Trust who managed and staffed the site entirely with volunteers. It is reported that since opening, a total of over 700,000 visitors have visited the Roman Painted House building and monument.
DDC looks forward to the Roman Painted House representing one of three DDC owned, operated and subsidised attractions in Dover, alongside the Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery and the refurbished Dover Maison Dieu which is due to open to the public in spring 2025.
The Roman Painted House, Dover. Image copyright: Historic England Archive - Roman Painted House
Posted on 14 November 2024