The development and operation of Roman hypocausted baths

Hypocausted baths represent physical systems which are susceptible to theoretical and practical examination. A consideration of the development of the hypocaust gives an idea of the state of the art at the time of the Roman occupation of Britain. It also explains why the importance of baths in the history of architecture, usually taken as being almost axiomatic, is determined by comfort physics. A number of problems in the way of a simple theoretical calculation of the fuel consumption is examined, and a calculation of the order of the requirements of a small rural establishment is attempted. The social and ecological implications are briefly touched upon.