The site may have begun as a pre Roman farm, but after the
Roman invasion of AD 43 its proximity to the Roman city of
Verulamium seems to have precipitated its development into a sort of spa and resort. From the
Antonine Period, c. 138 AD, stone buildings were added, and around 300 AD a large swimming pool, the biggest in Roman Britain after the one at
Bath were built. The site may have been leveled around AD 350 possibly because of its owner's support for the usurper emperor
Magnentius. It returned to agricultural use and was used for cattle pens. ==Conservation==