Urban development in the north-west of Londinium: excavations at 120–122 Cheapside to 14–18 Gresham Street, City of London, 2005

2015

Excavations north of modern Cheapside revealed 1st- and early 2nd-century AD buildings constructed along the main east–west road through Londinium. To the north, a subsidiary road was laid out, with grander stone buildings alongside. A major fire during the 2nd century AD destroyed many buildings and the road became disused. There is no evidence of Roman habitation beyond the mid 2nd century AD. Reoccupied in the 10th century AD, the stone foundations of timber buildings reflect the subsequent development of the city. London’s later medieval economic growth is represented by the cellars of wealthy merchants’ houses. Post-medieval archaeological remains were fragmentary, but documentary research revealed a possible link to one inhabitant, an apothecary called John Scarborough.

MOLA Archaeology Studies Series 32