A new permanent exhibition has opened at the Welwyn Roman Baths in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, to mark the 50th anniversary of the site’s public opening (1976–2026). The display, titled “50 Years Uncovered,” tells the story of how the early 3rd‑century ruins were discovered in 1960 and later preserved inside a steel vault beneath the A1(M) motorway.
Much of the exhibition focuses on the work of schoolteacher and archaeologist Tony Rook, who found the ruins and led a team of volunteers in a decade‑long excavation. His campaign ultimately led the Department of Transport to fund a protective steel vault so the motorway could be routed over the remains rather than through them.
Visitors can see archival film from the original excavation alongside digital 3D models produced in a photogrammetry project led by UCL. The digital reconstructions help visualise the baths; scholars continue to debate whether the complex was a private villa or a mansio, and the models show how the building may have looked if it functioned as a mansio (a posting‑house or hotel for travelling officials).
The Welwyn Hatfield Museum Service, working with the Welwyn Archaeological Society, developed the updated display as part of the 50th‑anniversary programme (an anniversary display was shown at the Herts Archaeology Fair on 26 July 2025), with the 50th‑anniversary season continuing into 2026 and seasonal openings resuming in February. The site sits about nine metres below the A1(M) at Junction 6 and the refreshed displays include a Discovery Trail aimed at younger visitors and families.
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