The museum sits atop the remains of the most complete Roman bathhouse found in Britain.
The structure is elevated on stilts to protect the archaeological site located beneath the building.
The museum name, 'Novium', is derived from the Roman name for Chichester, Noviomagus Reginorum.
The collection includes the famous Chichester Relief, a rare piece of Roman sculpture depicting Neptune.
The museum serves as the official district museum for Chichester and is managed by the local council.
The Novium Museum is built directly over the remains of an ancient Roman bathhouse in Chichester. The glass-fronted building integrates the primary archaeological excavation site into its ground floor, allowing visitors to view the structural ruins in situ. The museum serves as the primary repository for Chichester’s history, spanning from the Iron Age to the present day. It houses a collection of over 500,000 artifacts related to the local district. The permanent exhibition covers the Roman occupation, the development of the city as Noviomagus Reginorum, and subsequent medieval history. It provides detailed context on the bathhouse’s original function and significance to the Roman city. Educational displays explain the site's unique preservation within the modern city layout.
The ground-floor viewing deck looking directly down into the Roman bathhouse ruins.
Visit the ground floor first to understand the bathhouse layout before heading to the upper galleries.
Use the interactive digital guides to get a better sense of how the Roman bathhouse looked in use.
Check the museum's temporary exhibition calendar online as they host rotating local history displays.
Do not overlook the smaller display cases on the upper floors, as these contain the most significant non-Roman artifacts.
Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
