BEXLEY

(1) Bexleyheath, 21–23 Watling Street (TQ 4975 7507): evaluation trenching and watching-briefs encountered multiple gravel metallings, south of the modern street, just north of the projected line of an agger visible in the eighteenth century.Footnote ⁶² An early topsoil had largely been stripped away but a pocket survived in a hollow in the natural gravels and was sealed by the first metalling, which otherwise lay directly on the exposed natural. The early metalling was cut by a ditch running parallel to and about 30 m south of the modern frontage. The ditch had thick, rutted metalling on its northern side and was recut at least once prior to a loam forming over it and the road. Subsequent surfaces were probably post-Roman in date.Footnote ⁶³

CITY OF LONDON (LONDINIUM)

(1) 56–62 Moorgate and 41–42 London Wall, EC2M 5TB (TQ 32724 81534): an excavation following on from last year’s evaluationFootnote ⁶⁴ revealed evidence of settlement in this area, primarily of second-century date but with some activity continuing through to the late Roman period. One of the earliest and most notable features consisted of the remains of an early second-century kiln/oven structure with associated timber buildings. The structures were represented by the remnants of clay and tile walls, various post-hole and beam-slots, and a course of tiles sitting on a layer of heated clay which seemed to indicate the circular interior of the kiln/oven structure. The kiln appears to have been in use for a short time, possibly only a few months, and was broken down soon after and replaced by a large dump of clay material, either a make-up deposit or the remains of a clay floor slab. Burnt deposits were noted in several areas on site and were extensively sampled as small fragments of glass slag were noted across the excavation area. South of the kiln were several late first- to late second-century clay and timber buildings, recorded across the site as various beam-slots, post-holes and clay floor slabs. In the southern area of the site a drain preceded the creation of a revetted channel-type feature, both probably related to the prevention of waterlogging and potential flooding within this area of the Walbrook valley. In the late second century a road was established in the northern portion of the site which appears to have remained in use during the third and fourth centuries along with its associated ditches. During this period a new L-shaped structure replaced the clay and timber building initially recorded to the south-east of the early Roman kiln. This had been laid out on a completely different alignment to all the other buildings encountered in the previous phases. Assessment of the finds to date has established that they are poorly preserved and typical of an area associated with industrial working and redeposited household material. Industrial waste present relates to glass-working, bone- and antler-working, and possibly iron-working. The ditches to the south of the site contain wasters from the Northgate House kilns (located to the south), presumed deposited as land reclamation. Pots with post-firing modifications such as holes in the base may be associated with some kind of structured deposition and land reclamation. Post-excavation assessment has just started but would suggest that this site is typical of the northern part of the Roman city in the second century, probably pre-dating the construction of the city walls.Footnote ⁶⁵

(2) 6–8 Bishopsgate/150 Leadenhall Street, EC3 (TQ 33080 81160): archaeological remains were observed within the courtyard area of 6–8 Bishopsgate, although the adjacent basement of 150 Leadenhall Street had been completely truncated to natural gravels. In the north-east of the area, a deep, square cut feature, probably an early quarry pit, extended through the natural gravels, while in the south-east an east–west-aligned feature was interpreted as a possible ditch associated with the Roman road known to have crossed the site. In the centre of the area, a deeply cut pit was sealed by thin interleaving layers of clay and timber building remains. These consisted of the bases of wall sills and brickearth floors with signs of repair, all of which had slumped into the deep pit and another smaller one. Two phases of burning were observed among the building remains. Mitigation work continues.Footnote ⁶⁶

HAVERING

(1) Beam Riverside, Thames Avenue, Dagenham, RM9 6DE (TQ 50140 82908): an excavation revealed 12 late first- to second-century a.d. clay extraction pits, mostly located in the north-eastern margins of the site with a small group towards the east. It is thought that the pits may have been used to extract clay for pottery manufacture as pottery kilns were found at the Former Mardyke Estate,Footnote ⁶⁷ located 400 m to the north of the site. A possibly contemporary well/waterhole was revealed towards the centre of the site, beside the former floodplain of the river Thames, which suggests it was used in summer months when the water-table was low.Footnote ⁶⁸

LAMBETH

(1) Lambeth Palace Library, Lambeth Palace Road (TQ 30725 79330): following work in 2016,Footnote ⁶⁹ an archaeological excavation was undertaken within the footprint of the proposed new library building in the north end of the Palace garden. Natural Terrace gravels were cut by a series of Roman linear ditches, orientated north-east to south-west or perpendicular to this. The majority of the ditches were fairly shallow and filled with water-lain sands and gravels, indicating they were most likely for drainage or water management.Footnote ⁷⁰

SOUTHWARK

(1) Ebbark House, 93–95 Borough High Street, SE1 1NL (TQ 32608 80068): a watching-brief revealed a series of intercutting pits for the disposal of domestic waste dating between the second and fourth centuries and a number of contemporary dumped deposits/possible pit fills. The pottery assemblage recovered is considered to be of special interest due to its very good state of preservation and spectrum of represented forms, in particular a series of flagons which had been deliberately damaged, suggesting ritual deposition of at least some of the recovered artefacts. A complete mortarium recovered from one of the deposits was a so-called ‘second’, a vessel with a production defect, in this case imperfect firing, but still taken into use.Footnote ⁷¹

(2) Joseph Lancaster Nursery, Deverell Road, SE1 4EX (TQ 326 792): an evaluation recorded 23 early Roman post-holes cut by two shallow ditches which appear to have gone out of use by the end of the second/beginning of the third century a.d. Although not entirely regular, the post-holes appeared to be aligned in a right angle in the southern part of the trench. As no floor levels or walls were associated with the post-holes they are not thought to be part of a domestic building but they may represent either a stock enclosure or an enclosure demarcating part of a cemetery seeing that the site is located very close to known Roman burial grounds.Footnote ⁷²

(3) Site bounded by Stoney Street, Bank End and Park Street, SE1 (TQ 32505 80328): the site sits on a natural sand and gravel island defined to the south by a natural channel called ‘Park Street Creek’. The earliest features found were a series of Roman gravel extraction quarry pits, boundary and drainage ditches. The area was then subjected to levelling in the form of a substantial deposit of gravel, in preparation for the construction of Roman clay and timber buildings. In the south of the site only clay floors and mud brick walls representing internal divisions were found, both the south and north walls had been removed by later activity. The function of these buildings is unclear; no internal features such as hearths were found and very little occupation material was recovered. This may indicate that they were not domestic in nature and may have been ware- or store-houses next to the creek. To the south of these were various phases of external gravel paths. In the north of the site a series of Roman clay and timber buildings showed signs of being domestic in nature. Later Roman activity consisted of two long stretches of stone foundations. One near the southern limit of the site had external buttresses and was aligned north-west to south-east parallel to the ‘Creek’. The other was along the western limit of the site aligned north–south. These may represent a late Roman boundary or defensive wall around the island. Other later Roman activity consisted of two burials located close together, which may represent a small burial plot outside of a contracted settlement.Footnote ⁷³