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London’s been through a lot. It’s not surprising; being one of Europe’s central cities for 2000 years will do that to a place. The great thing about historic cities is that their past lives don’t only exist in textbooks; they can be seen in the names of streets or stations and in mismatched buildings constructed over the span of centuries.
Sometimes there’s even physical stuff left over, actual bricks or weapons which are carefully unearthed by archeologists, and that’s exactly what’s been discovered in London this week.
The ‘heart of ancient London’ has just been uncovered in the City. Sure, this far from the first Roman ruin to be discovered in the Square Mil, but it is the most significant find for London archeologists in a long time. Historians believe that these walls and foundations are the site of the first Londinium basilica (the second followed a few decades later), which would have sat alongside the forum. This would have acted as a sort of city centre, and been a bustling hub for everyone from magistrates and public officials to merchants and townspeople.
The ruins have been found underneath 85 Gracechurch Street, an unassuming commercial office five minutes from Bank tube station and London Bridge. It was already known that this was roughly where the forum was, but unearthing it is not only a cool find, but will give researchers a deeper understanding of how Roman Londoners lived.
Here is a peek at the 2000 year old walls which have been found.
But the walls, which were likely constructed in the the 70s or 80s AD, will not just be for researchers to enjoy. There are plans in the works to create a visitor centre around the site, which they say will ‘offer the public the unique opportunity to experience what it would have been like to stand on the stage of early Roman London’. Cool, right?
Don’t get too excited just yet. Planning permission has not yet been submitted, much less approved, and even once it is it will take a few years to fully excavate and construct the state-of-the-art museum in the area. There is currently an expected opening date of 2029-2030, but as always, take that with a pinch of salt.
Here’s a quick look at what that immersive visitor centre could look like.
If you need your history fix now, don’t worry. There’s plenty to keep you busy for the next few years while you wait – such as London’s oldest pubs, or its many excellent museums.
The Natural History Museum is opening a new gallery, and it’s free to visit.
IKEA is hosting in-store dates for single Londoners this Valentine’s Day.
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