When Roman London was established in A.D 43, many changes had to be made to accommodate the transition from the Iron Age to that of the more sophisticated Roman way of life. But it was the Romans themselves that would have to make an even greater change in their way of life, from the warm native climate of Italy to that of a colder, wetter Britain. The major areas that affected them in London and the sharp change in climate were mainly heating, food and clothing.

The introduction of under floor heating, known as hypocausts, was brought into Britain to help this climatic transition. These heating arrangements were very efficient. The floors of the rooms were supported on stacks of tiles, and hot air from furnaces heated the brick pillars and the floors. The hot air then went up the flues in the walls. In many houses, only one room appeared to have been heated in this way suggesting that this room was for communal purposes, and also assuming that the system was very expensive to run.

There is evidence for these hypocausts in London. The most splendid being found, in 1869, near the Mansion House in Queen Victoria Street. The system was covered by a highly attractive and decorative floor, which means that it belonged to a very fine house, probably part of a large private residence. However, these grand houses, or replica villas, are not that common within London, as the majority of these fine houses with the hypocaust systems were found outside of London in the countryside, on account of London being mainly a military base.

Due to the weather in Britain at the time, food availability was very much dependant on the season and the growing area, as there was no system of manipulating growth all year round. In winter, life would have been hard, especially in northern regions and, if the weather was bad, famine conditions prevailed. However, the Roman's created a sense of variety by importing specialist foods only available in warmer climates; such as figs, olives, and grapes - even wine was shipped to Britain up the river Thames. The influence of the warmer Roman climates increased the availability and variety of food in Britain. New plants were introduced which gradually acclimatised to their new habitat.

The change in climate would have had an impact on the types of clothing the Romans wore prior to their invasion of Britain and the creation of London. But what was adopted by the Romans to keep them warm, especially in a marshy, cold area like London? Footwear within the Roman Empire defined a person's position in society - men wore sandals, and women wore closed shoes. The style and importance of shoes in Britain must have changed altogether from open toe sandals to some sort of closed shoe - which in the colder months may have been adopted as the standard footwear. Also, the togas they wore over tunics may have possibly gained a lot warmer material.

In Rome, men and women wore cloaks at night and during winter for warmth, and as protection against wind and rain. These would have been most likely adopted in Britain on a more permanent basis. However, it is difficult to actually find much evidence for this change in clothes and shoes, but their styles would have definitely changed in some way to accommodate the sharp change in climate.

Certainly the weather conditions in Britain would have come as a rude shock for the Romans as most of their empire was within more southern, and hence much warmer areas.

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