The Spring overflow

This is the point at which hot water that was not required for use in the bathing establishment flowed from the Spring into the great Roman drain.  From there it was carried to the River Avon a few hundred metres away. 

 

The water flows through a sluice that could be regulated to completely drain the Sacred Spring and give access to the reservoir chamber for maintenance.  The same system devised by Roman engineers continues in use today, nearly two thousand years after it was first built.

Image: Roman arched Spring overflow. The stone is stained orange by the minerals in the hot water