CITY OF LONDON

(1) Kimberley House, 14–21 Holborn Viaduct, Meridian House, 34–35, Farringdon Street, and 32–33 Farringdon Street (TQ 3162 8145): following phase 1 and 2 of evaluation works in 2021 and 2022 respectively, excavations were carried out on the north and west areas of the site.Footnote ¹⁰² Alluvial deposits were identified as the edge of the river Fleet and its flood plain, and Roman pottery up to the third century was recovered. The pottery included both locally made and imported material. The site contained a series of 17 Roman inhumations and six cremations (fig. 32). The waterlogged nature of the site allowed for the preservation of five wooden coffins and a funerary bed. The burials contained grave goods, such as glass vials, pottery, oil lamps, game pieces and jewellery, representing both objects used as part of the funerary rituals and items intended for use in the afterlife. The dated grave goods and sequence of alluvial deposits indicate that the flood plain was used as a resting place for several centuries, with the first depositions between a.d. 43–80 and the latest in the third–fourth centuries. The Roman phase also contained a building comprising one surviving room, dated to the second–third centuries, which is suggested to be related to the burial ground, and a timber-lined well (fig. 33). Further excavations on the central part of the site are due to commence in January 2024.

FIG. 32.

London, Kimberley House. Working shot of a first-century a.d. Roman cremation pit and burial. (© Museum of London Archaeology)

FIG. 33.

London, Kimberley House. Third- to fourth-century a.d. timber-lined well. (© Museum of London Archaeology)

(2) Landmark Court, 15–31 Southwark Street (TQ 32484 80100): excavation continued in 2022 in the western part of the site.Footnote ¹⁰³ Natural sand and gravel were exposed, exhibiting a downward slope toward the former watercourse, known as the Southwark Street channel, which skirted the edge of the site. The earliest features included a series of early Roman drainage ditches which were sealed below thick flood deposits of grey water-lain silty clays. Above this were widespread gravel ground raising/levelling deposits and a north–south orientated path associated with the Roman redevelopment of the area. Following this was a sequence of Roman buildings from the first to mid-third centuries. The earliest had stone foundations, followed by construction in clay and timber. These buildings were lavishly decorated and had tessellated floors and walls decorated with painted wall plaster. Two decorated mosaics were found in the southernmost room of one of the buildings. The smaller mosaic has been dated to the second century a.d.., and measured c. 1.10 m square. It features a polychrome design with Solomon's knots and stylised flowers bordered in guilloche (twisted rope). Parallels for this mosaic have been found in Trier and Luxemburg. The larger mosaic, measuring c. 3.5 by 3 m complete, had a colourful floral design featuring large flower heads in guilloche squares and lotus flowers in guilloche triangles surrounded and connected by black triangles and diamonds. A wide border on the north side of the mosaic had Solomon's knots and a geometric motif (pelta) at both ends. This mosaic has been attributed to the ‘Acanthus group’ – a mosaic workshop active during the late second to early third century in London. Traces of an earlier mosaic underneath show the room was refurbished over the years. The arrangement of the mosaics within the room suggests this may have been a dining room (triclinium) of a large town house. Towards the end of the Roman period a large part of the site was used as an inhumation cemetery. Over 80 graves were recorded in the west and south-west parts of the site, most located outside the third-century buildings. All the burials were laid in wooden coffins, identified by timber staining and coffin nails found in the graves. Some were buried with grave goods including coins and glass beads. A large Roman structure within the cemetery area is interpreted as a late Roman mausoleum. Substantial stone foundations define a building measuring c. 6.8.m square with four large buttresses at the ends of the north–south walls. The structure was partly subterranean, and the interior comprised two phases of flooring surrounded by a raised platform built from tile and opus signinum mortar (a hard-wearing pink mortar). The two mosaics featured a similar design with a central flower head within a series of concentric circles. A thick layer of stiff clay laid between the pavements suggests the floor was raised to prevent rising ground water seeping into the building. Although no in situ burials remained within the structure, the locations for up to six coffins were identified. The nearby burials in the surrounding graveyard are aligned to the mausoleum, suggesting the structure could have been in use at the time these burials were made. The mosaics and the mausoleum structure were lifted to enable conservation work prior to their future display on the Liberty of Southwark development site.

BROMLEY

(1) Orpington, 154 Sevenoaks Way (TQ 4700 6890): an evaluationFootnote ¹⁰⁴ comprising seven trenches revealed a stratified sequence with natural gravel recorded as the lowest horizon. Evidence for multi-phase Roman activity was confined to the northwest portion of the site. Truncating the natural gravel in this area was a substantial cut (4.8 m long and 2.9 m wide), probably associated with the extraction of fluvial gravel and chalk, which was deliberately backfilled during the later Roman period (third–fourth centuries). Fragments of Roman ceramic building material both within the backfill and residual in the later medieval horizon are indicative of a Roman building in the vicinity of the site. Following the backfilling of the extraction pit, the area was used for construction of at least two timber structures, cut directly into the upper fill of the quarry pit. One of the structures, consisting of two parallel north–south alignments of post-holes, possibly represented a rectangular enclosure extending beyond the northern limit of excavation. The second structure comprised a north-east–south-west oriented post-hole alignment, interpreted as a fence-line. The Roman horizon was sealed by an extensive layer containing a mixed assemblage of finds spanning Roman and medieval periods.

HAVERING

(1) Romford, Former Car Park, London Road (TQ 50155 88428): excavationFootnote ¹⁰⁵ uncovered evidence of Roman activity concentrating in the northern part of the site. This phase commenced after 200 a.d. and probably represented a continuous occupation spanning c. 250–400 a.d. The earliest (third-century) material came from one of the gullies enclosing temporary structures or animal pens, which were interpreted as a satellite activity zone related to a nearby settlement. A more substantial late third-century feature (an east–west linear cut) was recorded along the northern limit of excavation. The cut was strongly associated with extensive, colluvial gravel deposits, which partly sealed it and probably slumped off a road surface located to the north of the site. This feature provided tangible evidence that the current projected course of the Roman Road, running just north of the site, is correct. Various pits, indicative of nearby habitation, were found throughout the northern area. One particular cluster included a large oval pit located near an unbaked clay surface. Dating to the early fourth century a.d., this zone may represent industrial activities serving an adjacent settlement. In the north-east corner of the study area a large enclosure ditch with a 90-degree bend was exposed. The cut truncated the road-associated feature and was almost certainly of fourth-century date. Backfilled in the late fourth/early fifth century, the ditch probably surrounded a small permanent settlement with buildings, such as a small villa or farmstead, which may have been located beyond the limits of the study area (probably just east of the site).

SOUTHWARK

(1) Avonmouth House, 6 Avonmouth Street (TQ 32153 79354): an evaluationFootnote ¹⁰⁶ demonstrated that despite modern truncation, archaeological horizons were present across the entirety of the site. The evaluation recorded a substantial number of redeposited Roman finds, such as ceramic building material and pottery in backfilled quarry pits. The subsequent excavation identified two phases of activity: early Roman (c. 71–160 a.d.) and mid-late Roman (150–200 a.d.). The early Roman phase was initially characterised by a sequence of ground-raising deposits, used to create a flat plot of land, upon which a building with multiple rooms was constructed. Within this structure, remains of brickearth floors and a hearth were identified. A north–south ditch was recorded parallel with the modern road along the eastern limit of excavation (which approximates the course of the Roman thoroughfare of Stane Street). Also of early Roman date were several groups of post-holes and pits. Due to the dispersed character of the features, which did not appear to form any obvious alignments or structures, it was not possible to determine their function. The mid-late Roman phase was primarily associated with disuse and robbing-out of the eastern part of the early Roman building. This activity was represented by series of linear cuts, roughly aligned with the remains of the structure. At the same time, a layer rich in mortar and tile was deposited over the western part of the building. Post-excavation work is ongoing.