CITY OF LONDON (LONDINIUM)

(1) Bartholomew Close, Smithfield EC1 (also known as Bart's Close) (TQ 523030 181674): in the central area of the site, the base of a large pit was recorded, containing a copper-alloy fibula and Roman pottery.Footnote ¹²⁸ A section exposed a Roman ditch. In the central part of the area, two lengths of ditch were recorded, one running north–south, the other east–west; both contained significant quantities of Roman pottery. At the south-east the natural brickearth was cut by a south-west/north-east ditch containing sherds of samian. In the northern end of the area, the natural brickearth was cut by a ditch of probable Roman date.

(2) 78–87 Fenchurch Street, EC3 (TQ 3348 8107): work was carried out on the western side of the site.Footnote ¹²⁹ Natural brickearth deposits were cut by a substantial east–west ditch in the north and by several large quarry pits to the south. The backfilled pits were sealed by early Roman make-up layers. A series of stake-holes, probably marking a property boundary, were also of early date. Multiple phases of brickearth and timber buildings (fig. 22) were recorded with brickearth floors and sills, occupation layers, possible yard surfaces and a gravel path. In one yard area, burnt daub and charcoal suggested an industrial process was carried out, while two small clay and tile ovens and one large example were also found. The larger oven was thought to be for commercial rather than domestic use. A burnt deposit close to this feature contained a reused tile fragment bearing an imperial stamp. Three deep Roman wells were recorded, one of which contained two coins while another produced a quantity of pottery. A number of stake-holes/post-holes from later Roman buildings were observed. The upper levels of Roman deposits contained extensive evidence of burning. These were sealed by post-Roman dark earth. In the central area of the site, natural brickearth was overlain by Roman levelling deposits. Two possible votive deposits were found, one consisting of an inverted mortarium covering a metal object (fig. 23) while the other comprised an intact pottery oil lamp, a coin and some animal bones, which may have been deposited prior to construction of a clay and timber building. The latter had four rooms, some with hearths or fireplaces, an outside pathway and a possible portico or veranda on the east side. In the southern part of the site, natural brickearth was overlain by Roman dumping cut by a series of pits and wells, one of which contained an intact flagon.Footnote ¹³⁰

FIG. 22.

78–87 Fenchurch Street, London. Remains of a Roman brickearth and plaster walled room and internal burnt layer in the northern part of the site, looking east.

FIG. 23.

78–87 Fenchurch Street, London. Upturned mortarium in the central area of the site, looking south. It was possibly placed in the make-up/foundation deposits for a Roman building, although it was disturbed by a medieval pit.

(3) Bank Station capacity upgrade, 12–14 Nicholas Lane, EC4 (TQ 3279 8090): a watching-brief revealed remains of late first- and early second-century date, including wall foundations constructed from roughly hewn ragstone with, in some cases, the upper part consisting of flint and tile coursing. A floor surface (or its make-up layer) comprising compacted clay and chalk fragments was also present, forming the truncated corner of a building. These structures were probably commercial or residential buildings. Two later pits dating to the mid-second to fourth centuries were also recorded; these contained sherds of samian ware, fragments of a mortarium and a box-flue tile.Footnote ¹³¹

(4) 60–70 St Mary Axe, EC3 (TQ 33360 81355): the truncated remains of the Roman/Medieval Bastion 9 were uncovered in the western edge of the trench, consisting of a triple levelling course of Roman brick surmounted by a double course of squared Ragstone blocks bonded with compact pink mortar.Footnote ¹³²

(5) 15–17 St Swithin's Lane, EC4N (TQ 32687 80935): several early Roman pits, some containing fire debris, were recorded in the northern part of the site.Footnote ¹³³ The remains of later Roman buildings were found to have slumped into the upper fills of these. Fragmentary remains of another building were also observed on the eastern side of the site. An unusual find was part of a platter, probably made from Kimmeridge (Dorset) shale. Shale objects have previously been recovered from late Roman deposits but this is the first example of this form to be found in London.

(6) Roman Wall House, Emperor House, 35–36 Vine Street and 1–2 Crutched Friars, EC3 (TQ 33590 80990): a watching-brief was maintained on works adjacent to the surviving section of Roman city wall within the basement of the standing buildings. This included making a record of a newly exposed part of the top of the wall.Footnote ¹³⁴

(7) 56–62 Moorgate and 41–42 London Wall, EC2M 5TB (TQ 32724 81534): an evaluation revealed a number of Roman clay-and-timber buildings surrounded by external surfaces and small boundary ditches recorded both in the north and south of the site.Footnote ¹³⁵ Some of the buildings had their floors re-laid several times, and in some cases had been demolished with later buildings on different alignments constructed on top. Some of the structures appear to have been robbed before becoming disused and eventually sealed by demolition layers. A north-west–south-east-aligned ditch uncovered in the north-west of the site may represent an early Roman drainage scheme. Although the pottery assemblage contained a variety of early and late Roman material, the emphasis was on early to mid-second-century ceramics. The proximity of the Northgate kilns is also clearly reflected in the assemblage as Verulamium region wares, London mica-dusted ware, London oxidised ware and fine micaceous ware account for more than a third of the site assemblage.

LAMBETH

(1) Lambeth Palace Library, Lambeth Palace Road (TQ 30725 79330): natural terrace gravels were cut by a series of Roman linear ditches, orientated north-east–south-west or perpendicular to this.Footnote ¹³⁶ 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.

LEWISHAM

(1) Bond House, Goodwood Road, Lewisham, SE14 (TQ 36270 77080): boundary or irrigation ditches representing at least two phases of activity were recorded cutting the natural brickearth. An early east–west ditch was recut by a much more extensive feature which fed into a north–south-aligned ditch along the western limit of excavation. This contained fragments of roof-tile, iron nails and pottery of a.d. 250–400. An isolated ditch in the north-east corner of the site contained similar material to the later ditches and may be contemporary with them. The ditches were sealed by a layer of colluvium which may indicate either a period of disuse or a change of use to open land.Footnote ¹³⁷

SOUTHWARK

(1) Land at rear of 52 Borough High Street, SE1 (TQ 32542 80085): a single evaluation trench revealed a pit containing pottery dated a.d. 50–80.Footnote ¹³⁸ This assemblage included sherds from two amphorae and a Verulamium/London whiteware butt beaker. Unstratified fragments from two Dressel 20 amphorae (one bearing the stamp of Q.A. Gemellus, a supplier of Baetican olive oil, c. a.d. 100) were also recovered.

(2) Fielden House, London Bridge Street, SE1 (TQ 32845 80150): a single Roman inhumation was found at the base of alluvial deposits in the central part of the site.Footnote ¹³⁹ This was aligned east–west (with the skull to the west) and accompanied by pottery dated a.d. 120–400.

(3) 150–152 Long Lane, SE1 (TQ 32889 79572): an evaluation revealed a north–south-aligned ditch of third- to fourth-century date.Footnote ¹⁴⁰ Pottery recovered from the ditch included sherds from an estimated 13 to 15 Camulodunum form 306 bowls, a vessel typically found in deposits of this period in London (fig. 24). Their precise function is uncertain but it is thought that they were made as drinking vessels to be deliberately broken at religious ceremonies and they are often found in wells, ditches or pits. It is possible that the ditch may be an outlying feature related to the Tabard Square temple complex to the north-westFootnote ¹⁴¹ or another, as yet undiscovered, ritual site in this part of Southwark.

FIG. 24.

Long Lane, Southwark. Camulodunum form 306 bowl under excavation.

(4) 161–163 Borough High Street, SE1 1HR (TQ 3254 7995): a watching-brief recorded two early to mid-second-century pits.Footnote ¹⁴² Although the nature of the pits could not be established, the high number of freshly broken sherds and post-firing holes within the pottery assemblage could be of significance given the site's proximity to the religious precinct at Tabard Square.

(5) 25–29 Harper Road, SE1 6AW (TQ 32307 79501): evidence for Roman activity dating from the second half of the first to the late fourth century was recorded.Footnote ¹⁴³ The earliest phase is associated with the construction of a north-east–south-west Roman road located in the north-east of the site. The 40 m long road extended beyond the north and east site boundaries and its full width is unknown. To the west of the road a sequence of parallel roadside ditches dating from the second half of the first century to the late fourth century indicated the road was maintained during the Roman period. In the western central part of the site and parallel to the road evidence was found for Roman shafts or wells associated with ritual activity, together with post-holes for a possible Roman timber building. These features were truncated by the substantial chalk foundation of a rectangular or square building parallel to the road which extended beyond the western limit of excavation. The foundation for this building, interpreted as a possible mausoleum, was later truncated alongside its eastern side by the construction cut for the insertion of a sarcophagus which contained the partially articulated human remains of a woman approximately 40 years old (fig. 25). Radiocarbon dating results indicated the human remains from the sarcophagus dated to a.d. 328.

FIG. 25.

25–29 Harper Road, Southwark. View of Roman sarcophagus from the top, looking north-west.

(6) 1 Mina Road, SE17 2QS (TQ 33536 78321): three Roman ditches along with a number of post-holes and stake-holes were recorded.Footnote ¹⁴⁴ One of the ditches was located on the north of the site running parallel to the putative line of Roman Watling Street and it is possible that it represents the remnant of a roadside ditch. The rest of the ditches run perpendicular to the road and may correspond to field boundaries to the south of the road, with the post-holes and stake-holes representing associated fencing. The small assemblage of ceramics recovered suggests a late Roman date for the features.

(7) 10–18 Union Street, SE1 1SZ (TQ 32466 80031): an evaluation revealed evidence for continuation of the Roman clay-and-timber buildings uncovered during excavations of the southern portion of site in 1988–9.Footnote ¹⁴⁵ This comprised a floor slab truncated by a regular pattern of six stake-holes. The clay-and-timber structure lay atop a sequence of Roman ground-raising deposits. Due to the limited size of the area investigated and of the finds assemblage, it was not possible to attain a more precise dating but the 1980s excavations dated the ground-raising deposits to the first century and the buildings to the first to second century.Footnote ¹⁴⁶

TOWER HAMLETS

(1) Appian Court, Parnell Road, Bow, E3 2RU (TQ 3696 8347): there was evidence for Roman activity in the northern part of the site.Footnote ¹⁴⁷ This comprised a possible quarry pit containing a small number of animal bones with butchery marks sealed by the remains of a clay-and-timber building represented by a clay slab, interpreted as an internal floor surface, and the base of a wall with a centrally positioned beam-slot. Evidence of repairs to the floor surfaces was discovered suggesting that the building was in use for an extended period. A compacted clay and gravel surface was recorded to the east of the building, suggesting the location of an external surface adjoining the building. As the ceramics assemblage recovered dated from the first to the fifth century, it was not possible to assign more precise dates to the features.

(2) The Wardrobe Tower and adjacent Roman city wall, Tower of London (TQ 33648 80529): the Tower of London is a Scheduled Monument, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and lies in a Conservation Area. The Wardrobe Tower is of exceptional significance not only as an important surviving remnant of one of the earliest medieval building programmes associated with the Tower of London (1196), but also because it incorporates the base of a Roman bastion (B1) and an adjacent section of the Roman city wall (fig. 26). The upper part of the tower was demolished in the late nineteenth century. The recording was carried out both before and during conservation as a condition of Scheduled Monument Consent.Footnote ¹⁴⁸ Fabric analysis of the surviving section of the Roman city wall identified it as a single build consisting of hard Kentish Ragstone in an opus caementum black pebble mortar. Tile bonding courses were arranged in groups of three, consisting of lydion-sized bricks of two fabrics: common second-century red Roman sandy fabric and distinctive yellow Eccles fabric manufactured in East Kent (a.d. 50–80). As well as squared Kentish Ragstone facing blocks, Carrstone, Barnack Stone and Weldon Stone were identified in the plinth. The recording also established that much more of the Roman bastion fabric survives within the Wardrobe Tower than had previously been thought. It was identified at the base of the outer and inner elevations of the Wardrobe Tower, with the medieval Wardrobe Tower built on top of the foundations of the Roman bastion, identified as areas of brick and opus signinum up to 1.5 m above ground level in the outer south-east elevations of the Tower. Further basal sections of the bastion were visible in the inner south and east elevations. These were identified by the use of the same hard opus caementum black pebble mortar and the reuse of fragments of stone types associated with Roman London, such as tufa, Lodsworth Greensand and large fragments of Bath Stone. The latter represents possible tombstone reuse from the East Roman Cemetery, which is a feature of many bastions along the eastern margin of the Roman city wall. It is very likely that the large blocks of the French Ditropan Limestone or Calcaire Grossier identified at between 1 and 2 m above ground level in the ashlar facing of the outer south-east elevation of the Wardrobe Tower are Roman and have been reused in this ashlar pier.

FIG. 26.

Tower Hamlets. West elevation of the Roman city wall in front and east internal elevation of the Wardrobe Tower behind, looking east.

WALTHAM FOREST

(1) Holy Family Technology College, Church Hill Road, Walthamstow, E17 9RX (TQ 37938 89326): evidence was recovered for large timber-framed farm buildings dated to the third to fifth century, comprised of groups of post-holes, beam-slots, rubbish pits and ditches.Footnote ¹⁴⁹ Boundary ditches were encountered in the south and the west of the area and at the base of the westernmost boundary ditch was a typical Roman ‘ankle breaker’. The building material recovered from dump deposits and post-hole fills in the east of the site included box-flue tiles (roller-stamped and combed) and large sesquipedalis or bipedalis brick suggesting the presence of an early Roman high-status heated building in the vicinity.

WESTMINSTER

(1) Ten Broadway Development, New Scotland Yard, 8–10 Broadway, SW1 (TQ 2967 7939): part of an infilled river channel on the route of the river Tyburn was exposed in the south-eastern part of the site.Footnote ¹⁵⁰ Underlying gravels had been cut by a series of streams and freshwater pools which during the Iron Age and Roman periods were filled with a sequence of thick peats representing a wetland marsh environment.