London Wall: Difference between revisions

London Wall

London Roman Wall - surviving section by Tower Hill gardens cross-section
City of London, within Greater London
Location	Central London
Region	Greater London
Coordinates	51°31′N 0°05′W / 51.51°N 0.08°W / 51.51; -0.08
Type	Fortification
Length	3.9km
Area	1.33km²
History
Founded	c. 200 CE
Periods	Roman to early 17th century
Site notes
Condition	Ruins
Public access	Partially
Scheduled monument

The London Wall was the defensive wall first built by the Romans around Londinium in c. 200 CE. This was a strategically important port town on the River Thames in what is now London, England, and subsequently maintained until the 18th century. Until the later Middle Ages, the wall defined the boundaries of the City of London.

London Wall is now the name of a road in the City of London running along part of the course of the old wall between Wormwood Street and the Rotunda junction where St. Martin's Le Grand meets Aldersgate Street.

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History

Roman wall

Although the exact reason for the wall's construction is unknown, it appears to have been built in the late 2nd or early 3rd century.^[1] This was around 80 years after the construction in 120 of the city's fort, whose north and west walls were thickened and doubled in height to form part of the new city wall. The incorporation of the fort's walls gave the walled area its distinctive shape in the north-west part of the City.

It continued to be developed until at least the end of the 4th century, making it among the last major building projects undertaken by the Romans before the Roman departure from Britain in 410. Reasons for its construction may have been connected to the invasion of northern Britain by Picts who overran Hadrian's Wall in the 180s.^[2] This may be linked to the political crisis that emerged in the late 2nd century when the governor of Britain Clodius Albinus was consolidating his power after claiming the right of succession as Roman emperor. After a struggle with his rival, Septimius Severus, Albinus was defeated in 197 at the Battle of Lugdunum (near Lyon, France). The economic stimulus provided by the wall and Septimius's subsequent campaigns in Scotland improved Londinium's financial prosperity in the early 3rd century.

The wall's gateways coincided with their alignment to the British network of Roman roads. The original gates, clockwise from Ludgate in the west to Aldgate in the east, were: Ludgate, Newgate, Cripplegate, Bishopsgate and Aldgate. Aldersgate, between Newgate and Cripplegate, was added around 350.^[3] (Moorgate, initially just a postern, was built later still, in the medieval period).

The length and size of the wall made it one of the biggest construction projects in Roman Britain. It had gateways, towers and defensive ditches, and was built from Kentish ragstone, which was brought by barge from quarries near Maidstone. It was 2 mi (3.2 km) long, enclosing an area of about 330 acres (130 ha). It was 2.5 m (8 ft) to 3 m (10 ft) wide and up to 6 m (20 ft) high.^[4] The ditch or fossa in front of the outer wall was 2 m (6 ft 7 in) deep and up to 5 m (16 ft) wide. There were at least 22 towers spaced about 64 m (210 ft) apart on the eastern section of the wall.^[5]

After Londinium was raided on several occasions by Saxon pirates in the late 3rd century, construction of an additional riverside wall began in 280,^[3] and this was repaired around 390. The existence of this riverside section was long doubted due to a lack of evidence, but excavations at the Tower of London in 1977 showed that the section of the inner curtain wall between the Lanthorne and Wakefield Towers was originally the eastern part of the Roman riverside wall.^[6] The riverside wall would have limited the commercial and other forms of access to the Thames, so it may have reflected a diminished level of activity.^[7] It is not clear how long the riverside wall survived, but there are references to a part of it near the dock of Queenhithe, in two charters of 889 and 898.^[8] There is currently no evidence of post-Roman restoration, so surviving sections are not likely to have been part, or an important part, of defences much after the Roman period.

Post-Roman use

With the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, Londinium ceased to be the capital of Britannia although Romano-British culture continued in the St Martin-in-the-Fields area until around 450.^[9] However, the defences must have retained some of their former formidable strength because the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle mentions that the Romano-British retreated back to London after their bloody defeat at the battle of Crecganford (Crayford, Kent) at the hands of Hengist and Horsa, leaders of the Saxon invaders.^[10]

From around 500, an Anglo-Saxon settlement known as Lundenwic developed in the same area slightly to the west of the old abandoned Roman city.^[11] By about 680, London had revived sufficiently to become a major Saxon port. However, the upkeep of the wall was not maintained and London fell victim to two successful Viking assaults in 851 and 886.^[12]

In 886 the King of Wessex, Alfred the Great, formally agreed to the terms of the Danish warlord, Guthrum, concerning the area of political and geographical control that had been acquired by the incursion of the Vikings. Within the eastern and northern part of England, with its boundary roughly stretching from London to Chester, the Scandinavians would establish Danelaw. In the same year, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recorded that London was "refounded" by Alfred. Archaeological research shows that this involved abandonment of Lundenwic and a revival of life and trade within the old Roman walls. This was part Alfred's policy of building an in-depth defence of the Kingdom of Wessex against the Vikings as well as creating an offensive strategy against the Vikings who controlled Mercia. The Burghal Hidage of Southwark was also created^{[clarification needed]} on the south bank of the River Thames during this time.

The city walls of London were repaired as the city slowly grew until about 950 when urban activity increased dramatically.^[13] A large Viking army that attacked the London burgh was defeated in 994.^[12]

Medieval period

By the 11th century, London was beyond all comparison the largest town in England. Westminster Abbey, rebuilt in the Romanesque style by King Edward the Confessor, was one of the grandest churches in Europe. Winchester had previously been the capital of Anglo-Saxon England, but from this time on, London was the main forum for foreign traders and the base for defence in time of war. In the view of Frank Stenton: "It had the resources, and it was rapidly developing the dignity and the political self-consciousness appropriate to a national capital."^[14][15]

The size and importance of London led to the redevelopment of the city's defences. During the early medieval period – following the Norman Conquest of England – the walls underwent substantial work that included crenellations, additional gates and further towers and bastions. Aside from the seven City Wall gates and the four bars, there are the 13 water-gates on the Thames where goods were unloaded from ships. These include Billingsgate and Bridge Gate. Additionally there were pedestrian-only gates such as Tower Gate and the postern gate at the Tower of London.^[16]

A further medieval defensive feature was the restoration of the defensive ditch immediately adjacent to the outside of the wall. The street name Houndsditch recalls a part of this former feature. This seems to have been re-cut in 1213,^[17] with the restored ditch being V-cut to a depth of 6 feet and a width of between 9-15 feet.^[18]

The re-cut of the ditch may have diverted some of the waters of the Walbrook which would otherwise have flowed through the City, and the wall itself does appear to have acted like a dam, partially obstructing the Walbrook and leading to the marshy conditions at the open space of Moorfields, just north of the wall.^[19]

As London continued to grow throughout the medieval period, urban development grew beyond the city walls. This expansion led to the suffix words "Without" and "Within" which denote whether an area of the City – and usually applied to the wards – fell outside or within the London Wall, though only Farringdon and (formerly) Bridge were split into separate wards this way (Bridge Without falling beyond the gates on London Bridge). Some wards – Aldersgate, Bishopsgate and Cripplegate – cover an area that was both within and outside the wall; although not split into separate wards, often the part (or "division") within the Wall is denoted (on maps, in documents, etc.) as being "within" and the part outside the Wall as being "without". Archaically infra (within)^{[clarification needed]} and extra (without) were also used^[20] and the terms "intramural" and "extramural"^[21] are also used to describe being within or outside the walled part of the city.

The suffix is applied to some churches and parishes near the city gateways, such as St Audoen within Newgate and St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate.

Demise

The boundaries of the City of London ceased to coincide with the old city wall as the city expanded its jurisdiction during the medieval period. The city's jurisdiction expanded westwards, crossing the historic western border of the original settlement – the River Fleet – along Fleet Street to Temple Bar. The city also took in the other "city bars", toll gates which were situated just beyond the old walled area: Holborn Bar, West Smithfield Bar, and Whitechapel Bar. These were the important entrances to the city and their control was vital in maintaining the city's special privileges over certain trades.

Great Fire of London

During the Great Fire of London in September 1666, almost all of the medieval City of London inside the wall was destroyed. The seven gates to the City of London, with many repairs and rebuilding over the years, stood until they were all demolished between 1760 and 1767.^[22] Work to demolish the walls continued into the 19th century; however, large sections of the wall were incorporated into other structures.

Second World War

Some of the noticeable ruins in the bomb-damaged City during the Blitz in the Second World War were remnants of London's city wall.All that remains of the wall are a few (albeit substantial) sections, some of which can be seen in the grounds of the Museum of London, in the Barbican Estate and around Tower Hill. A section near the Museum of London was revealed at Noble Street, after the devastation of an air raid on 29 December 1940 at the height of the Blitz.

Present

Another visible section is at St Alphage Gardens, and other sections form part of the walls or foundations of modern buildings and are only visible from inside those buildings. One of the largest and most readily accessed fragments of the wall stands just outside Tower Hill tube station, with a replica statue of the Emperor Trajan standing in front of it. There is a further surviving section preserved in the basement of the One America Square building.^[23][24] There are further remains in the basement of the Old Bailey.^[25]

In 1984 the Museum of London set up a Wall Walk from the Tower of London to the museum, using 23 tiled panels.^[26] A number of these have been destroyed in subsequent years.^[27] At Noble Street, the panels were replaced by etched glass panels. These were intended as a prototype for new panels along the entire walk, but no further replacements have been made.

Impact on current city

The layout of the Roman and Medieval walls have had a profound effect on the development of London, even down to the present day.^[28] The walls constrained the growth of the city, and the location of the limited number of gates and the route of the roads through them shaped development within the walls, and in a much more fundamental way, beyond them. With a few exceptions, the parts of the modern road network heading into the former walled area are the same as those which passed through the former medieval gates.

Course

Historic course

Routes west over the River Fleet

Routes to Westminster and the Roman road network

• Ludgate

Fleet Street and the Strand

• Newgate

High Holborn and Oxford Street, with access via the Devil's Highway to Silchester and Bath, and Watling Street to St Albans and the west midlands.

Routes north over Finsbury Fields and Moorfields

With direct access to more local routes.

• Aldersgate

Route to the London Charterhouse, Clerkenwell and Islington.

• Cripplegate

To Finsbury

• Moorgate

Until 1415 this was a small postern leading onto marshy Moorfields area of Finsbury. The wet conditions were probably caused by the wall partially obstructing the flow of the Walbrook.^[29] Moorgate remained ill-connected with no direct approach road from the south until 1846, some time after the wall had been demolished.

Routes east of Walbrook

Gates which latterly opened onto the East End of London, with access to the Roman road network.

• Bishopsgate

Shoreditch High Street and Ermine Street, leading to Lincoln and York.

• Aldgate

Whitechapel Road, the start of the Roman road to Essex and East Anglia via Stratford and Colchester.

• Tower Hill Postern

The end point of the medieval wall, at its junction with the Tower of London moat. Its foundations can still be seen.

Modern course

Part of the route originally taken by the northern wall is commemorated, although now only loosely followed,^[30] by the road also named London Wall, on which the Museum of London is located. The modern road starts in the west with the Rotunda junction at Aldersgate, then runs east past Moorgate, from which point it runs parallel to the line of the City Wall, and eventually becomes Wormwood Street before it reaches Bishopsgate. This alignment, however, is the result of rebuilding between 1957 and 1976.^[31] Before this, London Wall was narrower, and ran behind the line of the City Wall for its entire length, from Wormwood Street to Wood Street.^[32] The western section is now St Alphage Garden.

The wall's moat forms the street of Houndsditch. This was once London's main rubbish disposal site and was notorious for its appalling odour; its name, according to the 16th-century historian John Stow, was derived "from that in old time, when the same lay open, much filth (conveyed forth of the City) especially dead dogges were there laid or cast". The moat was finally covered over and filled in at the end of the 16th century becoming the line of the aforementioned street.

Characteristics

Bastions

The bastions, a tower built against the face of the city wall, are scattered irregularly across its perimeter. Not bonded to the city wall itself, they are considered to be added after the construction of the wall and even later after by post-Roman builders.^[33]

21 bastions are currently known about (more may be undiscovered) that can be grouped into a eastern section from the Tower of London to Bishopsgate (B1 - 10), a single bastion west of Bishopsgate (B11), and a western section (B12 - 21). Between the eastern and western section, a gap of 731 metres (2400 feet or 800 yards) along the northern section of the city wall has no recorded bastions.^[33]

Known monuments and landmarks

Location	Coordinates	Gallery	Description	Conservation Status	Notes
Tower of London	51°30′28.4″N 0°04′32.2″W / 51.507889°N 0.075611°W / 51.507889; -0.075611				The Tower of London is operated by Historic Royal Palaces and is not open to the public unless a ticket is purchased.
Tower Hill gardens	51°30′35.7″N 0°04′33.7″W / 51.509917°N 0.076028°W / 51.509917; -0.076028			Grade 1 Listed Building[34] List entry number: 1357518 Scheduled Monument[35] List entry number: 1002063	Open to the public. 360 panoramic view of this site.
Tower Hill	51°30′38.1″N 0°04′34.1″W / 51.510583°N 0.076139°W / 51.510583; -0.076139			Scheduled Monument[36] List entry number: 1002062	Partially accessible to the public. Can be accessed via a side street for a side-on view (as seen in this picture). For front-on view, access is through the privately owned citizenM Tower of London Hotel.
Basement of Roman Wall House, 1-2 Crutched Friars and Emperor House	51°30′43.8″N 0°04′35.4″W / 51.512167°N 0.076500°W / 51.512167; -0.076500			Scheduled Monument[37] List entry number: 1002069	No public access.
London Wall underground car park	51°31′03.4″N 0°05′25.9″W / 51.517611°N 0.090528°W / 51.517611; -0.090528		Located within the London Wall underground car park.	Scheduled Monument[38] List entry number: 1018885	Open to public. Access through the 24/ 7 London Wall underground car park.
London Wall underground car park	51°31′03.0″N 0°05′43.5″W / 51.517500°N 0.095417°W / 51.517500; -0.095417		Located within the London Wall underground car park.	Scheduled Monument[39] List entry number: 1018889	No public access - hidden from view.
Aldersgate Street	51°31′00.2″N 0°05′48.7″W / 51.516722°N 0.096861°W / 51.516722; -0.096861		Located underneath road and pavement. Gateway name: Aldersgate	Scheduled Momument[40] List entry number: 1018882
Basement of the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey	51°30′55.3″N 0°06′06.1″W / 51.515361°N 0.101694°W / 51.515361; -0.101694			Scheduled Monument[41] List entry number: 1018884	No public access. Potentially arranged to view through a tour within the Old Bailey.[42]

Related Signage

Location	Coordinates	Gallery	Description	Notes
Tower Hill pedestrian crossing	51°30′34.1″N 0°04′33.1″W / 51.509472°N 0.075861°W / 51.509472; -0.075861		Transcript of the London Wall Walk plaque 1 Transcript of tile 2 'The London Wall Walk The London Wall Walk follows the original line of the City Wall for much of its length, from the royal fortress of the Tower of London to the Museum of London, situated in the modern high-rise development of the Barbican. Between these two landmarks the Wall Walk passes surviving pieces of the Wall visible to the public and the sites of the gates now buried deep beneath the City streets. It also passes close to eight of the surviving forty-one City churches. The Walk is 1 3/4 miles (2.8km) long and is marked by twenty-one panels which can be followed in either direction. Completion of the Walk will take between one and two hours. Wheelchairs can reach most individual sites although access is difficult at some points'. Transcript of tile 5 'For nearly fifteen hundred years the physical growth of the City of London was limited by its defensive wall. The first Wall was built by the Romans c. AD 200, one hundred and fifty years after the foundation of Londinium. It stretched for 2 miles (3.2km), incorporating a pre-existing fort. In the 4th century the Romans strengthened the defences with towers on the eastern section of the wall. The Roman Wall formed the foundation of the later City Wall. During the Saxon period the Wall decayed but successive medieval and Tudor rebuildings and repairs restored it as a defensive wall. With the exeception of a medieval realignment in the Blackfriars' area, the Wall was no longer necessary for defence. Much of it was demolished in the 18th and 19th centuries and where sections survived they became buried under shops and warehouses. During the 20th century several sections have been revealed by excavations and preserved'.	Open to the public.
Tower Hill gardens	51°30′35.6″N 0°04′34.5″W / 51.509889°N 0.076250°W / 51.509889; -0.076250		Transcript of the London Wall Walk plaque 2 Transcript of tile 1 'The London Wall Walk follows the line of the City Wall from the Tower of London to the Museum of London. The Walk is 1 3/4 miles (2.8km) long and is marked by twenty-one panels which can be followed in either direction. The City Wall was built by the Romans c AD 200. During the Saxon period it fell into decay. From the 12th to 17th centuries large sections of the Roman Wall and gates were repaired or rebuilt. From the 17th century, as London expanded rapidly in size, the Wall was no longer necessary for defence. During the 18th century demolition of parts of the Wall began, and by the 19th century most of the Wall had disappeared. Only recently have several sections again become visible. Transcript of tile 4 'This impressive section of wall still stands to a height of 35 feet (10.6m). The Roman work survives to the level of the sentry walk, 14 1/2 feet (4.4m) high, with medieval stonework above. The Wall was constructed with coursed blocks of ragstone whic hsandwiched a rubble and mortar core. Layers of flat red tiles were used at intervals to give extra strength and stability. Complete with its battlements the Roman Wall would have been about 20 feet (6.3m) high. Outside the Wall was a defensive ditch. To the north is the site of one of the towers added to the outside of the wall in the 4th century. Stone recovered from its foundations in 1852 and 1935 included part of the memorial inscription from the tomb of Julius Classicianus. the Roman Provincial Procurator (financial administrator) in AD 61. In the medieval period the defences were repaired and heightened. The stonework was more irregular with a sentry walk only 3 feet (0.9m) wide. To the west was the site of the Tower Hill scaffold where many famous prisoners were publicly beheaded, the last in 1747'.	Open to the public. Note: plaques 3-4 no longer exist in their original spaces as outlined by the maps on the tile within the picture.
Tower Hill gardens	51°30′35.4″N 0°04′34.0″W / 51.509833°N 0.076111°W / 51.509833; -0.076111		Transcript of the English Heritage plaque 'London Wall This is one of the most impressive surviving sections of London's former city wall. The lower part, with its characteristic tile bonding courses, was built by the Romans around 200 AD. Its purpose may have been as much to control the passage of good and people as for defence. Against its inner face on this side, the wall was reinforced by a substantial earth rampart. Outside was a wide ditch. In the far right hand corner, evidence of an internal turret was found in excavation. This probably contained a staircase giving access to the sentry walk. Complete with its battlements, the Roman wall would have been about 6.4 metres high. During the medieval period, the wall was repaired and heightened. From the 17th century it fell into disuse and parts where demolished. Several sections, including this one, were preserved by being incorporated into later buildings. For your saftey Please take care as historic sites can be hazardous. Children should be kept under close control.Wilful damage to the monument is an offence. Unauthorised use of metal detectors is prohibited.For more information on this site. and how to join English Heritage, please contact 0171 973 3479 English Heritage'	Open to the public.
Aldgate Square	51°30′49.2″N 0°04′37.1″W / 51.513667°N 0.076972°W / 51.513667; -0.076972		Transcript of the London Wall Walk plaque 5 Transcript of tile 1 'The London Wall Walk follows the line of the City Wall from the Tower of London to the Museum of London. The Walk is 1 3/4 miles (2.8km) long and is marked by twenty-one panels which can be followed in either direction. The City Wall was built by the Romans c AD 200. During the Saxon period it fell into decay. From the 12th to 17th centuries large sections of the Roman Wall and gates were repaired or rebuilt. From the 17th century, as London expanded rapidly in size, the Wall was no longer necessary for defence. During the 18th century demolition of parts of the Wall began, and by the 19th century most of the Wall had disappeared. Only recently have several sections again become visible'. Transcript of tile 4 'Aldgate, City Gate When the Roman City Wall was built (c AD 200) a stone gate perhaps already spanned the Roman road linking London (Londinium) with Colchester (Camulodunum). The gate probably had twin entrances flanked by guard towers. Outside the gate a large cemetery developed to the south of the road. In the later 4th century the gate may have been rebuilt to provide a platform for catapults. The Roman gate apparently survived until the medieval period (called Alegate or Algate) when it was rebuilt in 1108-47, and again in 1215. Its continued importance was assured by the building of the great Priory of Holy Trinity just inside the gate. The medieval gate had a single entrance flanked by two large semi-circular towers. It was during this period that Aldgate had lived in rooms over the gate from 1374 while a customs official in the port of London. Aldgate was completely rebuilt in 1607-9 but was finally pulled down in 1761 to improve traffic access'.	Open to public.
Bevis Marks Street	51°30′53.3″N 0°04′44.3″W / 51.514806°N 0.078972°W / 51.514806; -0.078972		Transcript of the London Wall Walk plaque 7 Transcript of tile 1 'The London Wall Walk follows the line of the City Wall from the Tower of London to the Museum of London. The Walk is 1 3/4 miles (2.8km) long and is marked by twenty-one panels which can be followed in either direction. The City Wall was built by the Romans c AD 200. During the Saxon period it fell into decay. From the 12th to 17th centuries large sections of the Roman Wall and gates were repaired or rebuilt. From the 17th century, as London expanded rapidly in size, the Wall was no longer necessary for defence. During the 18th century demolition of parts of the Wall began, and by the 19th century most of the Wall had disappeared. Only recently have several sections again become visible'. Transcript of tile 4 'Bevis Marks, City Wall The engraving shows the area around Bevis Marks as it appeared (c 1560-70) in the reign of Elizabeth I. The City Wall, Aldgate, four towers and the City ditch can be clearly seen. Although the Wall has now disappeared in this area many of the streets still survive today. Outside the Wall were wooden tenter frames used for stretching newly woven cloth (the origin of the phrase 'to be on tenter hooks'). A gun foundry can also be seen near St Botolph's Church at the end of Houndsditch. Beyond were open fields (Spital Fields) stretching towards the villages of Shoreditch and Whitechapel. The historian John Stow, writing c 1580 recorded the many unsuccessful attempts to prevent the City ditch becoming a dumping ground for rubbish including the dead dogs, which gave Houndsditch its name. In the 17th century the ditch was finally filled in and the area used for gardens'.
London Wall underground car park	51°31′03.6″N 0°05′43.4″W / 51.517667°N 0.095389°W / 51.517667; -0.095389		Transcript of the London Wall Walk plaque 18 Transcript of tile 1 'The London Wall Walk follows the line of the City Wall from the Tower of London to the Museum of London. The Walk is 1 3/4 miles (2.8km) long and is marked by twenty-one panels which can be followed in either direction. The City Wall was built by the Romans c AD 200. During the Saxon period it fell into decay. From the 12th to 17th centuries large sections of the Roman Wall and gates were repaired or rebuilt. From the 17th century, as London expanded rapidly in size, the Wall was no longer necessary for defence. During the 18th century demolition of parts of the Wall began, and by the 19th century most of the Wall had disappeared. Only recently have several sections again become visible'. Transcript of tile 4 'Prior to the construction of the western section of the road London Wall in 1959, excavations revealed the west gate of the Roman fort, built c AD 120. It had twin entrance ways flanked on either side by square towers. Only the northern tower can now be seen. It provided a guardroom and access to the sentry walk along the Wall. Large blocks of sandstone formed the base, some weighing over half a ton (500kg). The remaining masonry consisted of ragstone brought from Kent. The guardroom opened on to a gravel road, spanning the gates. Each passage was wide enough for a cart and had a pair of heavy wooden doors. Running northwards from the gate-tower is the fort wall, 4 feet (1.2m) thick with the internal thickening added when the fort was incorporated into the Roman city defences c AD 200. The gate was eventually blocked, probably in the troubled years of the later 4th century. By the medieval period the site of the gate had been completely forgotten'.	Open to public.

See also

• Fortifications of London
• List of cities with defensive walls
• List of town walls in England and Wales
• Scheduled monuments in Greater London
• Wikidata query

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Chapman, Hugh, Hall, Jenny, and Marsh, Geoffrey (1986), The London Wall Walk London: Museum of London.
• Ross, Cathy, & Clark, John, eds. (2008), London: The Illustrated History. London: Allen Lane.
• Smith, A. (1970), Dictionary of City of London Street Names. London: David & Charles.

External links

• PhotoEssay on London Walls with markers
• Map of London Wall Walk and Photos