See a Chunk of the Roman Wall under Vine Street
If there’s one certainty in the City of London, it’s change. Historic fires and bombs coupled with modern development means the Square Mile is in a constant state of flux. But often this means that older history is revealed anew, like this chunk of Roman Wall on Vine Street.
London’s Roman Wall
The wall encircling Londinium was built around 200 AD by the Romans. Large parts of it are still visible today, famously outside Tower Hill Station but more evocatively in this car park and this pretty sunken garden.
But not all sections are publicly accessible and this chunk under Vine Street was once buried beneath two adjoining office buildings; Emperor House and – fittingly – Roman Wall House.
You can find out more about the Roman Wall in my YouTube video below.
35 Vine Street
Both Emperor House and Roman Wall House were demolished around 2018 when constructed started on a new office building for Urbanest.
You can see the progress in stages from Google Street View below;
The £85million building from Balfour Beatty is a 654-bed student accommodation but most interesting for us is the mixed-use two-level basement with the exposed Roman wall and bastion.
The end result will supposedly be open to the public along with a cafe and displays of objects from the original 1970s excavation. However, I haven’t seen an official opening date yet.
But for now, from street level you can still get a good view inside the space and down onto the section of roman wall.
The other element you can see is a huge piece of artwork by Olivia Whitworth, the East London-based artist who creates wonderfully detailed illustrations.
You can find out more about Olivia Whitworth’s work on her website here. The Exhibition was designed by Metaphor Exhibition Design.
The Saddler’s Company Link
Always on the look out (and up!) for hidden details, I spied the coat of arms of the Saddlers’s Company affixed to the new office facade.
If you’ve been on my City: Power and Sacrifice walk you’ll be familiar with these little symbols and the fact they denote property ownership.
Sure enough the Saddlers’ website confirmed that in 1556 one Robert Kitchin, a Warden, bequeathed his property on Crutched Friars (the site of Roman Wall House) to the Company.
Visit Vine Street
Happily – as of early May 2023 – you can now visit 35 Vine Street and admire the Roman Wall. It’s part of a lovely mini-museum and I’ve written all about it here.
More Roman London
There’s actually a surprising amount of Roman London that you can see in the City, from pavements in crypts like in St Bride’s Fleet Street to the full on immersive experience of the Temple of Mithras under Bloomberg’s HQ.
Another favourite is the Billingsgate Bathhouse, open again for tours from qualified City of London guides as well as the more curious chunk of Roman masonry under Leadenhall Market!
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