16961A CORNER of west Wiltshire returned to its Roman roots last week when a group of volunteers began restoring original plasterwork found in an ancient bath-house.

Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust approached Wiltshire County Council to restore part of a plunge pool, which was discovered by archaeologists in the grounds of St Laurence School in 1976. Until now the plaster had been stored in the basement of the Wiltshire Heritage Museum in Devizes, but now the volunteers hope to raise money and see the plasterwork eventually mounted in Bradford Museum.

County archaeologist Roy Canham said: "The plaster was actually found in the plunge bath, which dropped down a couple of feet. It appears the owners of this room were making major changes and picked the plaster off the wall and in-filled the pool with it.

"It often happens on Roman sites. They were clearing a room somehow or other for a change of use, and it was our good fortune that they put all of this into the plunge pool as a way of filling it up," he said.

Mr Canham said the county council had put forward money for the project but the whole process would require £5,000-£10,000.

"The preservation trust can go to the Local Heritage Initiative. It will give money to a local group who are carrying out heritage projects and I think they will get on quite well.

"I have given them help and assistance from the start, and now if you go there you will find runs of patterns which are beginning to make sense," he said.