The ruins were discovered during the expansion of the National Gallery to mark its 200th anniversary, and suggest that Saxon Lundenwick’s city center extended further west than previously thought. are doing.
advertisementThe National Gallery in London is undergoing a major refurbishment to celebrate its 200th anniversary.
But earlier this month, as builders prepared to dig a new tunnel under the National Gallery’s Jubilee Walk – the walkway linking Trafalgar Square to Orange Street – they also made a surprising archaeological discovery. .
The excavation site contained artifacts such as a hearth dating back to the 7th or 8th century, suggesting that the Saxon settlement of Ludenwych once existed where the National Gallery now stands.
Archeology South-East (UCL) archaeologists excavated hearths, postholes, pile holes, pits, ditches and flat deposits from the site.
“The evidence we have found suggests that Lundenwick’s urban center extends further west than originally thought,” said Stephen, who led the Jubilee Walk excavation in the south-east archaeology.・Mr. White said. “Having the opportunity to share that information and how it relates to archeology across London with young people in the city made it even more exciting.”
Post-medieval walls have also been found above a series of Saxon layers, with the oldest thought to have been built in the 17th or 18th century.
Archaeologists also found evidence that settlers went through several stages of rebuilding these walls over time, using a variety of building materials, up until the 19th century.
layers of london’s history
The National Gallery excavation is just the latest discovery to confirm that modern-day London is layered with history.
Over the past 100 years, thousands of ruins have been investigated in the Greater London area, each uncovering more of London’s past.
Before London was the walled Roman city of Londinium. The city was founded in 47 AD and abandoned by settlers in the 5th century.
Londinium’s successor was Lundenwick, a Saxon trading post that expanded into the western walls of the Roman city from the 7th century.
The National Gallery is on the western edge of the hamlet, and excavations in the immediate area have previously uncovered Saxon material, but the remains of Jubilee Walk suggest that the city center once extended this far west. This is the first excavation to prove it.
200 years of the National Gallery
The National Gallery was established by Congress in 1824. It houses a collection of British paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th century to the early 20th century.
The collection includes works by masters such as Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Bellini, Cézanne, Degas, Monet, Van Gogh, and Van Dyck.
Jubilee Walk was first created in 1991 when the National Gallery built the Sainsbury Wing, which was designed as a new home for its collection of early Renaissance paintings.
Previously, this area just north of Trafalgar Square served a variety of purposes, from the Royal Mews for Richard II’s falconry to stables and even a potential site for houses.
Sarah Younger, director of the NG200 Welcoming Project, said the latest excavation was proof of the National Gallery’s place at the heart of London’s history.
“We are reminded that everything we are building and rebuilding as part of this project will be part of the fabric and history of London for centuries to come,” Mr Younger said.
advertisement“We discovered that the National Gallery’s rich history does not begin and end with the collections displayed within its walls.”