Londinium – Roman & Saxon London
Did you know London was once under the Roman Empire? It was then called the Londinium, created in 43 CE, from which the present name London was derived. After the Romans, the Saxons took over this region. Still, there are traces of Londinium all over London. Several of the excavated articles are in display in the Museum of London. Here are a couple of sites that can still be enjoyed! These are some unique ‘places to see’ in London which many Londoners themselves don’t know of!!!
1. London Wall - Bang opposite to the Tower of London, just outside the TowerHill Metro Station is the London Wall. When I visited the Tower of London, I did not know of this and I had missed this. Later on reading on reading about the various places preserved by English Heritage, I came to know of this!
This was built around 200CE as a city wall. When it served its purpose, there was a moat on its outer face. This would have been originally 6.4m tall surrounding the whole of London. This was used till medieval periods and after 17th C this fell into disuse. Today, this is one of the few surviving bits!
2. Roman Amphitheatre - Romans were known for their impressive amphitheaters. What better proof that Colosseum? One more example is ofcourse the Caerleon! So, Londinium being a Roman settlement, obviously would have had its own amphitheater too! However for long, the historians and archaeologists did not know where it was!
It was only by chance that in the year 1988 CE, an excavation to expand for the Guild Hall Art Gallery revealed the existence of an ancient wall and a further careful excavation undertaken by the Museum of London, revealed the entire amphitheater.
By about 70 CE, this was originally built as wooden structure. Later by about 200 CE, the stone structure was made. By early 4th C CE this was completely abandoned. I came to know of this when I was in Museum of London and went over the Guild Hall to check it out for myself. Today the access to this place is through the Art Gallery of Guild Hall!
3. All Hallow’s by the Tower Church - Just next to the Tower of London is the All Hallows Church, the oldest church in London built in 675 CE. Located almost opposite a few yards from the London Wall, this too was a part of the original Roman settlement! When the church was built, the wall had already been abandoned for atleast 2 centuries. The material from the wall has been used in the construction of this church.
There is an arch here, which is the oldest surviving architecture belonging to Saxon period. The arch atop is made of the tiles which belong to Roman Era (the Saxons were good in recycling)! The crypt of this church still has several Roman articles of 2nd C CE discovered during excavation in this site, including its tessellated flooring!!!
The crypt also has the old baptismal register and marriage register belonging to 1600s – 1800s, as well as some sculptures & pillars belonging to the original Saxon church of 900s. There are also several underground chapels.
Here at the entrance of St.Clare’s chapel is a piece of melted lead, resulted by the intense heat on the ceiling caused by WWII bombing. The most peaceful place in the whole church is perhaps the St.Clare’s Chapel. It is underground, tiny and was originally a burial vault of the 17th C CE!
The main altar, quite unusually, today, doesn’t even have a cross in it! There is a huge table which is a replica of the original Jacobean table that got destroyed during the World War. There is a mural on the wall behind (which is why there is no cross in order to not hide the mural)! This was painted by Brian Thomas in 1957. As usual bang opposite to the altar is the huge organ.
To Get There:
London Wall: Just outside Tower Hill Metro Station & opp to Tower of London
Amphitheatre: Nearest metro - Bank & Moorgate
All Hallows Church: Just next to Tower of London
Timings & Entry Fee:
London Wall: Open all the time!
Amphitheatre: Mon-Sat: 10 AM - 5 PM; Sun: 10 AM - 4 PM
All Hallows Church: Mon-Fri: 8 AM - 5 PM; Sat-Sun: 10 AM - 5 PM
Free entry at all places
Free entry at all places