Roman Basilica Remains Found Beneath London Office

In the basement of an office building in London’s financial district, the ruins of an ancient Roman basilica were found buried beneath old filing cabinets and concrete floors. Archaeologists are calling it one of the most exciting recent discoveries in the British capital.

The approximate location of the Roman basilica had already been determined by earlier investigations. Archaeologists were still surprised, however, to find well-preserved sections of the basilica when digging beneath 85 Gracechurch Street, an office building in London that is set to be demolished and redeveloped. So far, the excavation has revealed well-preserved sections of a stone wall that formed the base of the large Roman basilica, which would have stood two-and-a-half stories tall. Dating back approximately 2,000 years, the wall is made of a type of limestone that comes from Kent.

“You can see a huge chunk of Roman masonry, and it’s incredible that it survives this well. We’re absolutely thrilled that there’s so much of it here,” Sophie Jackson from the Museum of London Archaeology told BBC News. “This building will tell us so much about the origins of London, why London grew, and why it was chosen as the capital of Britain.”

Basilica Was Part of an Important Roman Forum

The basilica remains at 85 Gracechurch Street once belonged to the city’s first Roman forum. Dubbed “the beating heart of Roman London,” the forum was built sometime between 70 and 80 CE, shortly after the Romans invaded and founded Londinium as the capital of Roman Britain. The forum was situated on a raised platform atop a high point in the city to emphasize the power and authority of the new local government. It functioned as an important political, judicial, and social hub. Jackson explained, “The basilica is the town hall, and then in front of it was a big open market square with a range of shops and offices around the outside.”

In a statement, Jackson also said the Roman basilica is “one of the most significant discoveries made” in recent years. She continued, “It’s like discovering the Speaker’s Chair and chamber of the House of Commons, 2,000 years into the future. The levels of preservation of the basilica have far exceeded our expectations, and we have possibly the most important part of the building.”

The City of London, colloquially known as London’s Square Mile, is the British capital’s historic financial district. Spanning just over one square mile on the north bank of the River Thames, the district is home to the Stock Exchange and the Bank of England—and, beneath its busy streets, several surviving remains of ancient Roman London. Not far from the newly unearthed basilica at 85 Gracechurch Street, parts of an ancient Roman amphitheater are visible under a glass floor at the Guildhall Art Gallery. The remains of the Temple of Mithras, also known as the London Mithraeum, are preserved and publicly accessible at Bloomberg SPACE.

“The fact that Roman London is beneath your feet is, frankly, quite a remarkable emotion to experience,” Chris Hayward from the City of London Corporation told BBC News. “You can actually see and visualize how Roman London would have been in those times. And then you can walk outside, and you can say, ‘Now look at the skyscrapers, now look at the office blocks.’ This is progress, but at the same time, progress combined with preservation.” The Roman basilica will now be excavated entirely by archaeologists. Afterward, the site will be incorporated into the new office construction and eventually opened to the public.