To examine the use of public buildings in the later Roman period, we must first review current knowledge and interpretations of public buildings in Romano-British towns and the evidence of their structural state in the later Roman period. The emphasis here, however, is on how this can be used to indicate experience and use of space. Public buildings were hugely symbolic features of the townscape (Revell 2009) and also formed part of wider ritualised landscapes encompassing longer histories. Although the buildings had complex biographies with structural changes, and some were partially demolished, the spaces within them remained important and were adapted for new uses, as needs and desires developed, whilst also retaining older functions. The demolition of some structures also represents the vibrancy of place and the creative reuse of building materials and spaces.

With difficult urban excavations, the identification and interpretation of public buildings is not always easy. Their function is also a complex subject: buildings were not usually restricted to single roles and this adds a greater complication to the analysis of their late use. Mackreth (1987) defined the Roman public building as ‘a structure which was put up to fulfil a public function and was open to the public itself ’. This is useful because it is wide-ranging definition and can include buildings such as palaces because they had an administrative as well as residential function.