Excavations at the National Gallery have revealed that Saxon London’s city center extended further west than previously thought.
The excavation was carried out as part of the National Gallery’s NG200: Welcome, a redevelopment project that forms part of the National Gallery’s 200th anniversary celebrations.
Items unearthed at the excavation site include hearths, postholes, stake holes, pits, ditches and flat deposits, which the gallery says are part of the Anglo-Saxon settlement that later became London. This suggests that fence lines may need to be reworked and property lines may evolve.
Archaeologists from Archeology South East, part of the UCL Institute of Archaeology, have published a report from the excavation of Jubilee Walk, part of the National Gallery at the northern end of Trafalgar Square, highlighting the findings. The details were revealed.
When the National Gallery built its Sainsbury Wing in 1991, it created Jubilee Walk, a walkway connecting Trafalgar Square and Orange Street (for access to Leicester Square).
Stephen White, who led the Archaeological South East Jubilee Walk excavation, said: “The evidence we have uncovered suggests that Lundenwick’s city center extends further west than originally thought. “There is,” he said. Having the opportunity to share that information and how it relates to archeology across London with young people in the city made me even more excited. ”
Sarah Younger, Director of the NG200 Welcome Project, added: “It’s an honor for the National Gallery to be part of a discovery like this, and a reminder of how everything we’re building and rebuilding as part of this project will be transformed.” It will be part of London’s fabric and history for centuries.
“We are grateful for the hard work and care of the archaeologists who have worked with us over the past few months, and together with our site manager Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd. We brought them in and had them participate in archaeology. Their work with us reminded us that the rich history of the National Gallery does not begin and end with the collections displayed within its walls. It is shown.”