The first Roman Cathedral found in the office basement in London –

Archaeologists found the remains of London’s first Roman cathedral in the basement of the office building that was planned to be demolished. The Cathedral was built around 70-80 AD when Rome conquered Britain and was the main civic building for the city’s administrative, judicial and commercial affairs. The Cathedral is believed to have been on more than two floors, facing an open courtyard where markets and public festivals were held and major announcements were made. It is the hub of Roman Longdin.

A team at the London Archaeological Museum (MOLA) was engaged to dig the basement of 85 Gracechurch Street before the planned reconstruction. Previous archaeological discoveries indicate that the cathedral is already in the area, but its exact location is unclear, even if anything left can be found. The first forum had a short lifespan, only about 20 years before it was demolished, and the second forum was five times the original scale. This explosive expansion proves the rapid development of Londinium growing into a major city, and it has obviously grown and changed since then. Given that all its buildings (including the current skyscrapers) were demolished just twenty years after its construction, no remnants of the first cathedral were found to be a very likely result.

Mola dug a small test pit where they thought they might have found the foundation or wall, and to their surprise, they found that the hits were far more than they expected: huge foundations and with flint, stones and wall base made of ceramic tiles, some parts are estimated to be 30 feet long and 13 feet high.

What makes this discovery even more special is that we believe these foundations are called courts within the cathedral. Here, at an elevated stage, the district court, political leaders and key officials will make major decisions about the London government and beyond, thus shaping the city’s past and present. 2,000 years ago, this place was the heart of Rome London. […]

“This is one of the most important discoveries in the city in recent years. It’s like discovering the House of Commons chairs and House Parliament Halls for the next 2,000 years. The level of preservation of the cathedral is far beyond our expectations, and we may be The most important part of the building. It’s exciting that we just scratch the surface of the website’s potential with our preliminary investigation.”

– Sophie Jackson, Director of Development, Mora

Anything found in ancient cathedrals and forums will remain in place. Developer Hertshten Properties plans to integrate archaeological remains into the new 85 Gracechurch Street and has created a new exhibition and event space in partnership with the London Museum. Architects are now developing a new plan that will be submitted to New York City for approval. Once approved, Mola will fully excavate the site. Archaeologists hope the remains they found will reveal information about the interior appearance of the cathedral.