Early C17 cistern to Old Somerset House (aka The Roman Bath) is a Grade II listed building in the Westminster local planning authority area, England. First listed on 24 February 1958. Cistern, vaulted chamber.

Early C17 cistern to Old Somerset House (aka The Roman Bath)

WRENN ID
upper-bonework-wren
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Westminster
Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster MP: Rachel Blake (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
24 February 1958
Type
Cistern, vaulted chamber
OS grid reference
TQ 308 808
Coordinates
51.51178, -0.11575
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The early 17th century cistern, known as The Roman Bath, is located beneath a late 19th century extension to 33 Surrey Street. It is set into the floor of a vaulted brick chamber, likely dating from the late 17th century. Access to the cistern is through an arched entrance on Strand Lane, and the vault is illuminated by a large arched window.

The cistern measures 4.7 meters in length and 1.9 meters in width, featuring a semi-circular end on the south-west side and a straight end on the north-east side. It is built from wide and shallow red bricks arranged in English bond.

Local climate

Early C17 cistern to Old Somerset House (aka The Roman Bath) sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 95% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 98% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 57% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

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