Archaeologists have discovered a section of one of Britain’s most important Roman roads directly beneath the Old Kent Road.
It is part of an important 2,000-year-old road known as Roman Watling Street, built shortly after the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43.
Roman Watling Street ran from the Roman port at Dover, known as Dubris, through London, then known as Londinium, to Wroxeter (Viriconium) in Shropshire, once the fourth largest city in Roman Britain.
Southwark Council says the discovery reveals the layout of the ancient Roman route, and is the first physical proof that sections of it still survive directly beneath its modern counterpart the Old Kent Road.
The well-preserved section of Roman Watling Street - measuring 5.8m wide by 1.4m high - was unearthed at the junction of Old Kent Road and Ilderton Road.
The discovery was made during work to expand Southwark’s low carbon heat network, by Southwark Council and Veolia.
Photos show the Roman road is made up of distinct layers, which tell the story of its construction.
It has a solid foundation of compacted gravel sealed by two layers of chalk. This was topped with another layer of compacted sand and gravel.
The original surface of the road would likely have been made from the same material and sat at a similar level to the modern road, but this has been lost, says Southwark Council. The base of the modern road was built directly on the Roman fabric.
Roman roads are characteristically straight, so archaeologists already had a good idea of where it should be. But until now, archaeologists had been unsure about Roman Watling Steet’s exact route.
The section of Roman road was identified by a team of archaeologists from Mola (Museum of London Archaeology), working on behalf of Veolia and archaeological consultant RPS.
Southwark Council’s in-house archaeology officer, Dr Chris Constable, said: “The extent of survival of the road is remarkable. We hope this project will answer some other archaeological questions in the borough.”
Gillian King, director of archaeology at RPS Consulting Ltd, described the discovery as “a key finding for archaeological research for London”.
“The discovery of an intact section of Roman Wating Street directly under the current Old Kent Road has redrawn the Roman road map for Southwark and informs on Roman construction techniques generally,” she said.
Dave Taylor, Mola project manager, said: “It’s amazing this section of road has survived for almost 2,000 years.
“There has been so much activity here over the past few hundred years, from sewers to power cables, tramlines and of course the building of the modern road, so we’re really excited to find such a substantial chunk of Roman material remaining.”
The recent discovery was made during early works to bring low carbon heating to 3,000 more council homes along Old Kent Road by Southwark Council and Veolia, with hopes to reduce the borough’s carbon footprint by a further 11,100 tonnes of carbon each year.
A new energy supply for Southwark’s low carbon heat network will be the latest layer of Old Kent Road’s history following an important section of its Roman past being discovered during excavation works.
Cllr Helen Dennis, cabinet member for new homes and sustainable development, said: “Old Kent Road is one of London’s oldest thoroughfares that embodies much of what makes today’s London special: the diversity, the hubbub, and community spirit.
“It’s extraordinary to literally be peeling back the layers of Old Kent Road’s history as we work towards a greener future by expanding Southwark’s low carbon heat network.”
The discovery will be marked by a sign on the nearby Old Kent Road bridge.
Find out more about the renewal of Old Kent Road at www.oldkentroad.org.uk
