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

[shullie.livejournal.com]

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

[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.

[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.

[sovay]

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