A commercial property development in the heart of the City has unearthed an entire Roman street that is being dubbed the Pompeii of the North. Archaeologists working on the site of Lord Foster’s new Bloomberg headquarters on Queen Victoria Street say the find, which includes thousands of artefacts, is something they have been dreaming of for years.
The Temple of Mithras was unearthed in 1954
The discovery was made in a deep waterlogged trench on a site that had previously been excavated in the 1950s. On that occasion archaeologists unearthed a temple to the Roman god Mithras which attracted huge numbers of visitors and would eventually lead to the principle that property developers are responsible for the cost of any archaeological digs required prior to construction work commencing.
On this occasion an entire streetscape has emerged from the mud of the buried Walbrook River, including another section of the temple, and timber fencing that is still standing after 2,000 years. Project manager Sophie Jackson says the find is significant because of the degree of preservation.
“The waterlogged conditions left by the Walbrook stream have given us layer upon layer of Roman timber buildings, fences and yards, all beautifully preserved and containing amazing personal items, clothes and even documents – all of which will transform our understanding of the people of Roman London,” she said.
The development project will also involve the relocation and restoration of the Temple of Mithras which was carelessly treated following its discovery and has been poorly displayed nearby for almost 60 years. Together with today’s finds it will become part of a public exhibition -on its original site – when the building is completed in 2016.
