Jewry Wall Museum, Leicester

[poliphilo]

Leicester's Jewry Wall is the largest slab of non-military, free-standing, Roman masonry to survive in Britain.  It was originally part of a Roman bath house, was re-used as the west wall of a church (which is what saved it from demolition) and now forms part of the boundary of the Jewry Wall Museum.

The name is a mystery. It has nothing to do with Jews or ghettos. The best guess is that it derives from "jurat"- the title given to senior members of the medieval city council- which may- or may not- have held meetings in the adjoining churchyard.

It's a good little museum- especially rich in Roman material.
 


Jewry Wall from St. Nicholas churchyard.



Looking through the wall towards the museum, with the foundations of the bath house in the foreground.



Looking back up, through the wall, at the west front of the church.



A small mosaic

Comments

[aellia.livejournal.com]

Wonderful!
I would like to see that one day.
x

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Leicester's a fascinating city- very old- and now very multicultural.

[shullie.livejournal.com]

that looks wonderful, like Penny, I would love to go and see it. You find some wonderful places.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

"The isle is full of voices...."

[shullie.livejournal.com]

there was a lady on radio 4 the other day, ( and I think she really was a Lady as in title!) I will have to check it out, she has just published a book, apparently she travels the country via horseback and sees some wonderful places.... hmmmmmmm will have to go and look and find it now!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

On horseback- wow! That does sound interesting.

[shullie.livejournal.com]

it's John Betjeman's daughter Candida Lycett Green, and her column, which has now become a book called Unwrecked England...

She was talking on Excesses Baggage (radio 4) on Saturday (26th September).

She was fascinating ( as were many of the other guests - check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00mtm99/Excess_Baggage_26_09_2009/)

She is fascinated with the 'ordinary' as well as the fantastic.. I think I may have to buy her book!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link. I listened to the whole programme. Every time I listen to radio 4 I think, "I should do more of this."

[shullie.livejournal.com]

me too....

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

Roman mosaics...I love them. Seville is especially rich in that sort of thing. Out at Italica (birthplace of emperors Hadrian and Trajan) there are some really nice mosaic floors in the ruins. A lot of them have been placed in the Archaeological Museum here for safekeeping but they've left some in situ to admire.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Roman mosaics in Britain tend to be unsophisticated and clumsy- not all of them, but the majority- and actually that's part of the charm.

[oakmouse]

Oh my. Lovely photos. Must go visit that one when I get back to Britain; the Roman stuff is a special interest of mine.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

Leicester's not on the tourist routes, but it's a fabulously lively, multicultural city, with a fair few hidden treasures.

[sovay]

I love these pictures, especially the look through the wall.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

I'm glad you like that one. I took a very similar shot a year or two back, but it wasn't quite right, so I made a special point on this visit of going back and trying again.

[sovay]

I took a very similar shot a year or two back, but it wasn't quite right, so I made a special point on this visit of going back and trying again.

It has a wonderful sense of looked-through time.

[negothick.livejournal.com]

IT reminds me of Engine Summer.