Roman Fort Latrines — Housesteads, Hadrian’s Wall
Builder unrecorded · Communal latrine block of a frontier fort · Housesteads Roman Fort, Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland, England
Photo: Carole Raddato via Wikimedia Commons, 3 July 2017 (CC BY-SA 2.0), from the Street Art Utopia archive. Full photograph shown; resized for display.
English Heritage calls these the best-preserved stone-built latrines, cisterns and water channels of any Roman fort in Britain. English Heritage, Significance of Housesteads Checked There were no cubicles: the soldiers of the garrison sat side by side. English Heritage, Top 10 Toilets Through Time Checked
4 things to know
- All together nowThe block had no cubicles, so the men sat side by side. English Heritage, Top 10 Toilets Through Time Checked
- No toilet paperAccording to English Heritage, many used a sponge on a stick, washed and shared by many people. English Heritage, Top 10 Toilets Through Time Reported
- Water was the pointWhat survives is the plumbing as much as the room: stone-built latrines, cisterns and water channels. English Heritage, Significance of Housesteads Checked
- A garrison of 800English Heritage says the fort held 800 men at its height, and that they used the latrine block you can still see today. English Heritage, Top 10 Toilets Through Time Reported
Check-in guide
- 📍
- Inside Housesteads Roman Fort on Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland, among the excavated barrack blocks. National Trust · English Heritage, Significance of Housesteads Checked
- 🏛️
- The fort was given to the National Trust in 1930; it is owned by the National Trust and maintained by English Heritage. English Heritage, Significance of Housesteads Checked
Sightings
- 1930
Fort given to the National Trust · English Heritage
- 201430 Sep
“Top 10 Toilets Through Time” published · English Heritage
- 20173 Jul
Photographed at the fort · Carole Raddato
- 202412 Aug
Photographed at the fort · Michael Garlick
Every stamp links to its source. Green stamps are dated photographs of the latrine at Housesteads; Michael Garlick’s of 12 August 2024 sets the status stamp. Amber stamps are records about the site.
On the record
Top 10 Toilets Through Time
“There weren’t any cubicles, so men sat side by side, free to gossip on the events of the day.”
Significance of Housesteads Roman Fort
“the best-preserved stone-built latrines, cisterns and water channels of any Roman fort in Britain”
Exploring Hadrian’s Wall
“Excavations at the Fort revealed a turreted curtain wall, three barrack blocks and well-preserved latrines.”
The facts
- Title
- The latrines (communal latrine block), Housesteads Roman Fort. English Heritage, Significance of Housesteads · Carole Raddato photo, 3 Jul 2017 Checked
- Builder
- The Roman army; no individual builder is recorded in the sources. English Heritage, Significance of Housesteads Unconfirmed
- Year
- Roman period. The sources cited here give no construction date for the latrine block. English Heritage, Description of Housesteads Unconfirmed
- Place
- Housesteads Roman Fort, Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland, England. English Heritage, Significance of Housesteads · National Trust Checked
- Position
- In the south-east angle of the fort, according to English Heritage’s significance page; its description page says the south-west corner. We follow the significance page, which is the fuller account of the latrines. English Heritage, Significance of Housesteads · English Heritage, Description of Housesteads Conflicting
- Survives
- Stone-built latrines, cisterns and water channels. English Heritage, Significance of Housesteads Checked
- Garrison
- 800 men at the fort’s height, who used this block (a garrison figure, not the latrine’s capacity). English Heritage, Top 10 Toilets Through Time Reported
- Care
- Owned by the National Trust, maintained by English Heritage. English Heritage, Significance of Housesteads Checked
- Status
- Photographed at the fort on 12 August 2024. Michael Garlick photo, 12 Aug 2024 Checked
- Our photo
- Carole Raddato, 3 July 2017, CC BY-SA 2.0. Carole Raddato photo, 3 Jul 2017 Checked
Related
- Toilets Worth Visiting (9 Photos): the SAU collection with the Housesteads latrines
All sources (7)
Site records
- English Heritage: Significance of Housesteads Roman Fort. Best-preserved stone-built latrines, cisterns and water channels of any Roman fort in Britain; latrines in the south-east angle; given to the National Trust in 1930.
- English Heritage: Description of Housesteads Roman Fort. Places the communal latrines in the south-west corner of the fort.
- National Trust: Exploring Hadrian’s Wall. Excavations revealed three barrack blocks and well-preserved latrines.
Guides
- English Heritage: Top 10 Toilets Through Time, 30 September 2014, updated November 2017. No cubicles; 800 men; the sponge on a stick.
Photos
- Wikimedia Commons: Carole Raddato, “The Latrines, Housesteads Roman Fort (Vercovicium)”, taken 3 July 2017. CC BY-SA 2.0.
- Wikimedia Commons: Michael Garlick, “Bardon Mill, Housesteads Roman Fort: The latrine” (from Geograph), taken 12 August 2024. CC BY-SA 2.0.
Street Art Utopia
- Street Art Utopia: Toilets Worth Visiting (9 Photos), 19 October 2026. The SAU post with this photo.
Artwork File · Last checked 19 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files