AD 50 The story of Roman London

May 24, 2007 The Timeline of Britain 4

Most Roman towns were sited either over previous towns, or over Roman forts.
London was unusual in that it appears to have been founded from scratch. And
it wasnt a quick foundation. The Roman invasion was in AD 43, but it was not
until around AD 50 that the first coins indicate the foundation of the town of
London.

The first port

The original Roman crossing of the River Thames was further up river at Westminster: even today, the
Roman road, the Watling Street today the Edgware Road, comes into London pointing to a
crossing at Westminster. London itself was only founded around AD 50 Here at Regis House, the very
first revetment of the river can be seen, dated by tree-ring dating to AD 52 , probably the earliest
attempt to embank the river and turn London into the great port that it soon became.

The great rebuilding

Within 10 years, London had grown to become one of the foremost cities in the country. When
Boudica launched her revolt in AD 60, London was one of the towns that was sacked a layer of
burning marks the destruction. Soon afterwards however a new and better city arose. Here we see
the waterfront built around AD70 again the date comes from tree ring dating. this was a solid timber
built quayside, where boats could draw up alongside for unloading.

A Roman mystery?
These three pigs of lead were found under the floorboards of the warehouse in the second century
AD. How did they get there? Are they the result of nefarious deal, when this valuable commodity had
to be concealed, never to be recovered at least not until it was recovered by the archaeologists!

Boudicas burning of Southwark

In AD 60, barely 10 years after the foundation of London, Boudica, queen of the Iceni in Norfolk, rose
in revolt. Sweeping south, she sacked and burnt the leading towns of Roman Britain, seeking to
exterminate the civilisation she detested. Colchester and St Albans went up in flames, and so too did
London, demonstrating that already by this time, London had become one of the major towns in the
country. Archaeologists have long recognised the burnt layer that marks her destruction. Hitherto
however it has been assumed that her destruction only extended to the city of London itself, on the
north side of the river.
Now the latest evidence shows that she penetrated to the south of the river, to Southwark. Already,
within the first 10 years of its existence, London had acquired its first and most important suburb.

Roma
n Southwark
This is surely one of the most spectacular archaeological photos of all time. This is the new booking
hall of the underground station at London Bridge, in Southwark, to the south of the River Thames.

Above is the modern road, with the traffic roaring overhead, and the sewage pipes and service
channels suspended from the ceiling. And at the bottom, the archaeologists are excavating the
Roman road, the predecessor to the modern road above.

The Burning
Here, an archaeologist is seen drawing the layers of burning found in one of the buildings flanking the
Roman road at London Bridge. This provides the evidence that Boudica crossed to the south bank
and burnt Southwark too: thus Southwark must have existed by this time and does this mean that
the London bridge had also been constructed?

A Roman lamp
One of the most remarkable finds was this pottery foot which is in fact a lamp the wick burnt in the
big toe.

Following the Boudican fire, the site was soon re-occupied by timber buildings, and this lamp was
found in a palisade slot, dating to the late 1st century. It may have been made in Holland.
Note the projecting second toe a typical feature of Roman feet.

The heart of the Roman city, at No1, Poultry

The biggest, and probably the most expensive excavation ever to have taken place in Roman London
was this site at Number 1, Poultry.
The site was a controversial one. It was assembled, building by building by Lord Palumbo, who
wanted to pull down the Victorian buildings and replace them by a skyscraper designed by Mies van
der Rohe. Controversy rumbled on for years, until finally he was allowed to demolish the Victorian
buildings, but he was not allowed to have his skyscraper, but instead a lower and arguably rather less
distinguished building, which nevertheless has become one of the most sought-after prestige
buildings in the City.
But it led to the excavation of a crucial area of the Roman city.

Roman London
Here we see the entire excavated area. At the far apex of the triangle is the centre of the City of
London, with the Bank of England just hidden on the left, and the Mansion House on the right.
To the left is Cheapside, here known by its ancient name of Poultry, while the street to the right is
Queen Victoria Street.
To make matters more difficult for the archaeologists, underground railways run under both streets.

Under the slab

As time is money, the archaeologists had to excavate while the new building was being erected above
them, and underground trains rumbled behind the shuttering to the right.

Here a small Roman mosaic is being uncovered in the right foreground.

Plan of Poultry
The site as uncovered. The triangle shows the excavated area. Beyond it, to the right is the small
stream known as the Wallbrook that separated th
e two halves of Roman London.
The main Road, the Via Decumana crosses the Wallbrook and runs through the site, with two irregular
roads leading off it: London was clearly not a planned city!
To the north of the street were no elaborate buildings, but instead two shops with the timber selling
area to the front, and stone built living area to the rear. One of the stone buildings had a mosaic floor.

The Roman amphitheatre A surprise discovery

The most important single discovery in recent years has been the uncovering of the Roman
amphitheatre, in a place where no-one expected it. It was found under the Guildhall yard, in front of

the medieval Guildhall. Only one end of the amphitheatre was excavated, where the cellars for a new
library were being dug out.
In the late Saxon period, the yard was used for a huddle of small houses, but it seems likely that when
the Guildhall was erected in the Middle Ages, the remains of the oval depression were recognised.
The Guildhall itself was built over one side, where the Roman President of the games would have
watched the proceedings.
Londons Guildhall, the heart of
medieval London, is undergoing
renovation. The yard in front was to be
excavated to provide new cellars, and
to the right, the amphitheatre was
discovered.

The Roman amphitheatre. At the bottom, the two curving walls formed the walls of the arena. At the
centre was the gate, and the twin walls running to the top of the picture formed the entrance way.
The steel girders were needed to enable to deep excavation.
Amphitheatre drain

Still preserved under the entrance way to the

amphitheatre, was the original timber drain, its
wood perfectly preserved, and still carrying water.
There was even a silt-trap whether the silt was
encouraged to settle, and could be cleaned out.