Comments on: In Search Of Roman London

By: Ian Silverton

Ian Silverton — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 19:27:09 +0000

GA, have you been too the Bloomberg New Building,housing the Mithras Temple as yet? Would make a great blog for you me thinks, cheers, Ian

By: ian silverton

ian silverton — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 19:53:54 +0000

Anybody remember the finding of The Temple of MITHRAS in moorgate,back in 1955,would be interested to know,please email me iansilverton@aol.com thanks.

By: HJ

HJ — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 14:28:58 +0000

Thank you for such an interesting and useful article. And the comments provide further interesting information!

By: Philip Mernick

Philip Mernick — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 23:35:04 +0000

I took my degree at John Cass College in Jewry Street in the 1960s and seem to recall a section of the roman wall in their basement. I don’t know if they have moved since but the wall should still be there!
Philip Mernick

By: Beppie Harrison

Beppie Harrison — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 16:58:33 +0000

What a wonderful view of unknown London. Unknown to me, of course, although I’ve seen the Roman fragments at the Tower. I also loved the comment of the reader above about looking through glass that no one else had done for 2000 years.

By: Dr Jonathan Kemp

Dr Jonathan Kemp — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 16:07:00 +0000

If you’d come by a week or two ago I could have taken you up on to the top of Coopers Row via a cherrypicker, as we just finished a second round of conservation maintenance works to the site including some cleaning, lime mortar repairs and chalk consolidation tests…

Perhaps next year!

Jonathan Kemp

By: Peter Holford

Peter Holford — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 10:33:25 +0000

And there are remains still being found and others to be found. I think we will see a lot more in the coming years as redevelopment requires deep foundations which will destroy the archaeology. In London all archaeology is rescue archaeology!

I’m involved with a dig of a Roman fort in the South Pennines – more leisured and measured with no threat from urban destruction.

By: John

John — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 01:45:58 +0000

Wow! That’s all so amazing. Fabulous photos (as usual) and great historical writing. What a blog!

By: Pauline Taylor

Pauline Taylor — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 14:41:03 +0000

Thank you GA, I have found all of that very interesting, but now here is an invitation to come to Colchester if Roman history interests you.

This is our Roman History. In AD49 a civilian settlement, Colonia Claudia, named after the Emperor Claudius, was established at Camulodunum, the Roman Fortress. There was a theatre and a senate house, and the grandest building of all, the Temple of Claudius, built after the death of the Emperor in AD54. Claudius was regarded as a god, and Colchester Castle now stands on the foundations of his Temple.

Then, in AD60, Roman Colchester was virtually destroyed by Queen Boadicea of the Iceni. Everything was burnt to the ground and evidence of this is still found whenever any excavations take place. The Romans who survived took refuge in the Temple of Claudius but this was also burnt after two days and those inside slaughtered.

After this the defensive wall was built and two thirds of this can still be seen today. The largest of the five known Roman Theatres in Britain was built with seating for up to 5000 people. There was also an impressive Roman-Celtic complex at Gosbecks, just outside the town centre, and near here the finest bronze figure from Roman Britain was found, this was the Colchester Mercury.

In all Colchester had a theatre, at least 8 temples, a public water supply, and fine houses with decorated mosaic floors and under floor heating. Glass and metal were manufactured and there were over 40 pottery kilns.

In 2004 the only Roman Circus in Britain was discovered here and we have the foundations of the earliest known Christian Church in Britain. All of this heritage can be seen and explored and fascinating artefacts can be found in our Castle Museum. Expect to be very impressed by our wonderful heritage in Britain’s First City!!

By: Jill

Jill — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 10:52:15 +0000

Reading this with still sleepy eyes this morning I was processing monochrome images until the soft terracota red came into focus on the sixth photo. Did you plan that ‘reveal’? Very evocative.