Londinium’s garden of earthy delights
The development team at The Liberty of Southwark are working with MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) and LB Southwark on an archaeological dig, ahead of the construction of new buildings. We know from excavations nearby during the 1980s and in 2005 that the site contains fascinating evidence of Southwark’s Roman history, including a ‘Mansio’ — a Roman building where travellers on official business for the Roman Empire would have stopped to rest on long journeys across Roman Britain and beyond.
Much of what we know about the site of The Liberty is from excavations that took place in 1988. The archaeological team is discovered evidence of Roman occupation, including several substantial buildings. Image: London Archaeologist.
An artist’s rendition of Roman London in the second century AD. What is today Southwark can be seen in the top right hand corner of the image as a small group of islands sticking out into the Thames. Image: MOLA/Peter Froste
An archaeologist carefully cleans a piece of pottery after is has been excavated. The cleaning process highlights things that tell us more about the lives of the people who used objects, such as inscriptions, decoration, or marks of use. Image: MOLA
A tessellated terracotta floor of Roman date is excavated at the site of The Liberty in 2005. This was part of a number of Roman buildings for which evidence has been found on the site. Image: MOLA
