Strange Britain: Londinium

David Long takes us on a tour of the many Roman ruins and relics that can be found in the capital

Little is known of London before the arrival of the Roman legions in AD43. Besides a few pieces of broken pottery and an Iron Age burial beneath the Tower of London, there’s scant evidence of any real pre-Roman settlements. A few locals were clearly scratching out a living of sorts along the wide, marshy valley of the Thames – a Bronze Age footpath has been found in Plumstead – but no one can say how these people lived or how many there were before the Romans kickstarted Londinium by constructing the first Thames bridge. Sadly, the bridge and its surrounding structures were famously destroyed shortly afterwards by Boudicca and her avenging Iceni. A thick layer of ash attests to this, more than 10 feet below modern street level, but the…

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Discover Britain (Digital) - 1 Issue, April - May - 2025

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