Archeologists have discovered a “remarkable” section of one of Britain’s most important Roman roads in southeast London.
Unearthed under Old Kent Road, the 2,000-year-old road known as Roman Watling Street ran from Dover through London to the West Midlands, connecting Britain with the wider Roman world.
The road was found while work was being carried out to expand Southwark’s low-carbon heat network by the local council and utilities company Veolia.
Built shortly after the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43, it has now been identified by archaeologists – its discovery provides the first physical proof that sections of the ancient route have survived below the modern roads.
The Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) confirmed the Roman road with advice from the council’s in-house archaeology officer Dr Chris Constable.
Dave Taylor, the MOLA project manager, said: “It’s amazing this section of road has survived for almost 2,000 years. There has been so much activity here over the past few hundred years, from sewers to power cables, tramlines and of course the building of the modern road, so we’re really excited to find such a substantial chunk of Roman material remaining.”
The piece discovered was well preserved. It measures at about 19ft (5.8m) wide by almost 5ft (1.4m) high.
Southwark Council said distinct layers could be seen which shows a solid foundation of compacted gravel sealed by two layers of chalk then topped with another layer of compacted sand and gravel.
Dr Chris Constable said: “I’m pleased this project has answered our questions over the course of the Roman road south of the Cantium Retail Park where a section was excavated in the early 1990s, south of the line of the modern road,
“In the planning for this project, we’d expected to solve this question but the extent of survival of the road is remarkable. We hope this project will answer some other archaeological questions in the borough.”
John Abraham, chief operating officer – Industrial, Water & Energy for UK, Ireland and Nordics at Veolia, said: “This new discovery, unearthed during our infrastructure project, gives us a fascinating insight into Roman construction. Whereas the Romans built aqueducts to transport water to cities, Veolia and Southwark Council are utilising a district heating network to provide low carbon heat to homes in the borough. We are delighted to have played a part in this find which is an incredible example of where old meets modern technology!”
The discovery will be marked by a sign on the nearby Old Kent Road bridge, which has undergone its own transformation in recent years. It had a colourful makeover celebrating the area’s diversity with a bespoke mural titled ‘A Home from Home’ made in collaboration with the local community.
