|
|
No.58 January 2004 | Contex HOME LECTURE REPORT Recent
re-evaluation of the Roman London forum Our October, 2003, lecture was by Lesley Dunwoodie of MoLAS on excavations at 168 Fenchurch Street and 21 Lime Street. These two neighbouring sites are located over remains of both the first and second Fora. The plan of this important building complex has been pieced together over 100 years of archaeological recording, of which Lesleyıs is the latest. This report is based on the notes she kindly supplied. Introduction The archaeological significance of this area first became apparent in 1881-2, when substantial Roman remains were recorded during construction of Leadenhall Market, but it was not until the 1920s that this structure was recognised as a basilica and that a forum probably lay to the south. Investigations during the early 20th century revealed complex building sequences, elements of which belonged to a forum. It also became clear that remains of an earlier masonry structure were present on several sites. Ralph Merrifield conjectured that the SE corner of this earlier building was beneath 168 Fenchurch Street. Excavations here by Brian Philp in 1968-69 confirmed its location, as well as revealing elements of the building that replaced it. Having correlated his discoveries with other sites in the area, Philp suggested that the remains almost certainly represented a building, which he described as a proto-forum. Further work by Peter Marsden on a more accurate overall plot of these discoveries revealed a layout more clearly recognisable as that of a basilica and forum, which was replaced by a second, larger scale complex. The basilica on the north side housed the offices and courts for the administration of Londinium and the province. The remaining wings enclosed a central open courtyard, which consisted of ranges of rooms, probably included shops, storerooms and possibly even light industry. These ranges were flanked by inner and outer porticos. Excavations at Leadenhall Court in the 1980s provided an opportunity to re-assess the development of the whole forum-basilica complex. However there is still a considerable degree of uncertainty about the alignment, arrangement and dating of elements of the second Forum, and the function of the different rooms and areas. This was mainly due to the difficulty and haste of the early excavations and the fact that, owing to the size of the complex, recording has out of necessity been carried out in piecemeal fashion. 168 Fenchurch Street This site had already been investigated on two occasions during major construction work in 1968-9 and in 1976. MoLAS became involved with the site in 1995 when new redevelopment was planned. At first sight it didn't look too promising. However, a programme of evaluation work began to investigate the impact of the new groundworks. A narrow strip of archaeology survived around the perimeter of the site, just beyond the sheet piling for the existing deep basement. Within these narrow slots the sequence was complex, with overlapping first and second Forum walls. An added difficulty was that full excavation was generally avoided in the testpits, so that if the remains were considered worthy of preservation in situ, the surviving sequence could be maintained in as complete a state as possible. Efforts were made to relocate the proposed pile foundations where there would be minimum impact on archaeological deposits. At the east end of the site there was some archaeological survival beneath the shallower single basement, though it was very fragmentary. In 1999, prior to the construction of a new basement, MoLAS carried out a short excavation, which mopped up the all the bits that were left. Despite the limitations, much information was retrieved which would however not have made sense without the earlier excavations The earliest activity on the site (c.AD50) was represented by ditches, gullies and fence lines - with limited evidence for quarrying. Evidence for the earliest structures was limited; the builders appear to have employed a simple wattle and daub construction technique. Finds suggest the buildings were used for habitation or commercial purposes. They were soon replaced by more substantial structures; one, a mudbrick building previously recorded in 1976, was rediscovered. The building, probably part of a range of shops, was modified at least once, with its remains preserving both its construction detail and destruction in the Boudican revolt. One room contained large quantities of burnt grain. Little survived of the post-Boudican period. A few fragments of the first forum recorded at the west end of the site confirmed what was already known of its layout. Foundations of the south and east wings of the second forum were also observed across the site, including a previously unrecorded room division, but no floor surfaces survived. The only post-Roman remains were some chalk foundations of medieval St Dionis Backchurch, founded around 1100. 21 Lime Street This site straddled almost the entire width of the east wing of the Forum, offering a rare opportunity to record a part of the complex of which little is known. Because of rarity and importance of the archaeology, strenuous efforts were made by the Corporation of London and the project team to preserve as much as possible and only excavate where new foundations were essential. A full sequence was excavated in two small areas - hopefully providing a dating framework for the rest of the site. The excavation presented formidable practical difficulties, both from its narrowness and close proximity to the contractors and the need to maintain access and site accommodation Some structural remains of possibly pre-Boudican date were found. There was the collapsed roof of a building destroyed by fire, with, intriguingly, a small cache of ten silver coins. There was also evidence of buildings of post-Boudican date, some of them probably contemporary with the first Forum, which was about 25 metres to the west. What is certain is that these buildings were swept away in advance of the construction of the second Forum, the walls of which were glimpsed in the narrow trenches across the site. A number of new rooms were identified within the central range. A substantial portion of the opus signinum floor of the outer portico survived. This floor was repaired on several occasions, then replaced altogether with gravel and mortar surfaces. Between the uppermost floors was evidence of metalworking, possibly indicative of the complex falling out of official use. On the opposite side of the road was found a late Roman foundation of unusual chalk and tile foundation with timber lacing. A considerable amount of archaeological material is still left on the site. This has been protected and will be preserved beneath the new building. Although post-excavation work is still at a very early stage it is hoped that detailed analysis will help to answer questions about the appearance of the Forum, as well as its use and decline as a public complex.
|
