The Remains of Roman London: A Walking Tour with Context

Discover the secrets of ancient Londinium, the vibrant city founded by Romans almost 2,000 years ago, on this walking tour with Context Travel expert Dr. Alan Montgomery, a guide, author, and scholar of Art History and Architecture, and Classical Civilization. While much of the Roman city has been destroyed or covered over by centuries of development, several impressive fragments of its public buildings, houses and streets survive, sometimes in surprising and unexpected locations. Join Alan as he shows you where to look for London‘s Roman remains, and brings Londinium back to life before your eyes.

Our tour starts on London Wall, a street where you‘ll quickly discover an old Roman Fort Gate and nearby Roman Fort Ruins, and hear about Londinium‘s early beginnings. You‘ll learn how a terrible fire wiped out much of the Roman city in the second century, and have an opportunity to see some of the surviving structures, including part of the Roman Amphitheatre hidden in the Guildhall Art Gallery. You‘ll see what’s left of London Mithraeum (or, the Temple of Mithras), and remnants of the fantastic mosaic in the Bank of England Museum. You‘ll also hear some of the urban legends that surround the London Stone (one of the city’s oldest landmarks), like how London will fall if the stone is ever removed. The tour ends with a fantastic view of Tower Hill and the Tower of London.

On this Roman London walking tour, you‘ll:

• Learn about the layout of the ancient city and get insight into the daily lives of Londinium‘s inhabitants
• Stroll along an impressive piece of the Roman wall, discovered during the construction of the London Wall in 1957
• Discover how a wooden Roman bridge across the River Thames was adapted into the medieval fortress that we know as the Tower of London
• Find out about the Roman arch nestled in a basement near Leadenhall Market
• Visit the oldest Roman arch in the city at All Hallows by the Tower church
• Find evidence of the diet that was enjoyed by the people of Londinium, which included wine and olive oil imported from the Mediterranean provinces, as well as walnuts, dates and figs, all of which would have arrived by boat
• See the first basilica at the center of Londinium that was built around 70 AD, and learn how it was the administrative heart of the ancient city, and used for all sorts of public gatherings
• Discover how the Blitz of 1940 to 1941 led to the discovery of many Roman remains as bomb sites were redeveloped in the decades that followed
• Delve into the city‘s sinister past, where the discovery of 39 human skulls suggested gruesome violence, telling a chilling story of ancient Londinium‘s darker days

Join Alan for a mind-bending 75-minute tour that‘ll transport you through time and leave you marveling at the layers of history hidden within London‘s vibrant streets. By the end, you won‘t just come away with a better sense of the history and layout of the ancient Roman city, you‘ll also have a richer understanding of the lives that thrived in the heart of Londinium.