Roman City Wall at Vine Street
Knocking down buildings and building new ones is nothing new in The City of London, it has been going on for thousands of years. So much building work has happened over the years that ground level of Roman London is around twenty feet below the current ground level.
Which all goes to explain how a bit of the city’s defensive Roman Wall and bastion are now on display in the basement of a building. The Roman wall was built very much above ground then, over the years, the ground level rose as things were built around it.
Now you can see the wall on display in its own museum at Emperor House, 35 Vine Street, London, EC3N 2PX and even enjoy a cup of coffee at Senzo’s cafe that overlooks the basement.
The New Building
The wall was rediscovered when a warehouse was built on the site in the 1900s and then rediscovered for the second time when an office block was built in the 1979. That office block displayed the wall off to one side of the ramp down to the building’s car park.
Eventually, the 1970s office block was replaced with a brand new building with a dedicated museum exhibiting the Roman Wall and plenty of archaeological finds from the site which have been stored for years. Best of all, the museum is free – you just need to book tickets here.
The Museum
The Wall
The side of the wall held up with screw jacks is the City side, the side facing the open area is where the attackers would of come from.
The Long Display Case
Excavations of the wall and bastion in the 1970s gave up a treasure trove of artefacts, huge numbers of which are on display after decades in storage.
To read all the labelling and take it all in needs the better part of an hour.
Sculpted Wall Art
This Roman artwork is thought to of been intended to be placed in a wall as the rear is finished very roughly.
Two Families
Through the contents of two cess pits, huge amounts can be inferred about two families who lived in houses on the site before the warehouse replaced them.
Virtual Tours
Wall Art
