https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2025/11/odd-places-to-see-londons-roman-wall.html [jd] jack of diamonds Life viewed from London E3 diamond geezer >> email me Tuesday, November 11, 2025 >> follow me on twitter >> follow the blog on There are many places around the Twitter City of London to see its old Roman >> follow the blog on RSS Wall, notably alongside Noble Street, in Barber Surgeons' Meadow, >> my flickr photostream through the Barbican, in St Alphage Garden and just outside the entrance twenty blogs to Tower Hill station. Here are four our bow of the odder spots. arseblog ian visits Four strange places to see London's londonist Roman Wall broken tv blue witch 1) From platform 1 at Tower Hill on london station the great wen edith's streets If you're ever waiting for a spitalfields life westbound train at Tower Hill linkmachinego station, take a walk to the rear of round the island the platform and take a look across wanstead meteo the tracks, roughly where the christopher fowler penultimate carriage would stop. the greenwich wire High on the far wall is a square bus and train user recess lined by black tiles, and at ruth's coastal walk the back of that is a dimly-lit round the rails we go surface of chunky irregular blocks. london reconnections Unlike every single other thing on from the murky depths the Underground, the Romans built that. quick reference features Things to do in Outer [towerhilst] London Things to do outside London London's original wall was 2 miles London's waymarked walks long, 6 metres high and almost 3 Inner London toilet map metres thick at its base, all the 20 years of blog series better to keep out uncivilised The DG Tour of Britain marauders. It was built around 200 London's most... AD, then left to decay and rebuilt in the medieval era, again for read the archive defensive purposes. This is one of Nov25 Oct25 Sep25 the original bits, not that you can Aug25 Jul25 Jun25 May25 easily tell by squinting across the Apr25 Mar25 Feb25 Jan25 tracks. A small metal lamp points Dec24 Nov24 Oct24 Sep24 inwards but is no longer switched on Aug24 Jul24 Jun24 May24 because heritage illumination is not Apr24 Mar24 Feb24 Jan24 a TfL priority. There is however a Dec23 Nov23 Oct23 Sep23 rather nice silver plaque on the Aug23 Jul23 Jun23 May23 pillar opposite, should you step Apr23 Mar23 Feb23 Jan23 back far enough to notice it. Dec22 Nov22 Oct22 Sep22 Aug22 Jul22 Jun22 May22 [towerplak] Apr22 Mar22 Feb22 Jan22 Dec21 Nov21 Oct21 Sep21 The plaque confirms that the stones Aug21 Jul21 Jun21 May21 here are a continuation of the wall Apr21 Mar21 Feb21 Jan21 seen (much more clearly) outside. Dec20 Nov20 Oct20 Sep20 What it doesn't mention is the Aug20 Jul20 Jun20 May20 unavoidable truth that the wall must Apr20 Mar20 Feb20 Jan20 once have continued across the Dec19 Nov19 Oct19 Sep19 tracks and platforms but is no Aug19 Jul19 Jun19 May19 longer here. That's because when the Apr19 Mar19 Feb19 Jan19 Circle line was constructed in 1882 Dec18 Nov18 Oct18 Sep18 the railway companies had permission Aug18 Jul18 Jun18 May18 to demolish 22 metres of London's Apr18 Mar18 Feb18 Jan18 wall and duly did, the Victorians Dec17 Nov17 Oct17 Sep17 never being afraid to destroy Aug17 Jul17 Jun17 May17 ancient heritage. Ian Visits has a Apr17 Mar17 Feb17 Jan17 photo of navvies standing atop the Dec16 Nov16 Oct16 Sep16 offending stonework just before they Aug16 Jul16 Jun16 May16 bashed it through. The square hole Apr16 Mar16 Feb16 Jan16 is no recompense, plus you can't see Dec15 Nov15 Oct15 Sep15 anything if a train's in the Aug15 Jul15 Jun15 May15 platform, but it is a brilliantly Apr15 Mar15 Feb15 Jan15 quirky thing to find on the Dec14 Nov14 Oct14 Sep14 Underground. Aug14 Jul14 Jun14 May14 Apr14 Mar14 Feb14 Jan14 2) Round the back of the Leonardo Dec13 Nov13 Oct13 Sep13 Royal Hotel Aug13 Jul13 Jun13 May13 Apr13 Mar13 Feb13 Jan13 The short walk from Tower Hill Dec12 Nov12 Oct12 Sep12 station to the rear entrance of Aug12 Jul12 Jun12 May12 Fenchurch Street passes two hotels. Apr12 Mar12 Feb12 Jan12 The second is the Leonardo Royal, Dec11 Nov11 Oct11 Sep11 formerly the Grange, whose car port Aug11 Jul11 Jun11 May11 looks like it leads to a cocktail Apr11 Mar11 Feb11 Jan11 terrace and maybe some parking. Dec10 Nov10 Oct10 Sep10 Nothing's signed from the street, Aug10 Jul10 Jun10 May10 indeed I'd never thought to duck Apr10 Mar10 Feb10 Jan10 through before, but at the far end Dec09 Nov09 Oct09 Sep09 past the umbrellas of Leo's bar is a Aug09 Jul09 Jun09 May09 significant chunk of Roman wall. Apr09 Mar09 Feb09 Jan09 Dec08 Nov08 Oct08 Sep08 [wallchunk] Aug08 Jul08 Jun08 May08 Apr08 Mar08 Feb08 Jan08 The upper section has arched windows Dec07 Nov07 Oct07 Sep07 built for archers and square holes Aug07 Jul07 Jun07 May07 which once supported a timber Apr07 Mar07 Feb07 Jan07 platform. It's impressive of course Dec06 Nov06 Oct06 Sep06 merely medieval, part of the rebuild Aug06 Jul06 Jun06 May06 that occurred along much of the wall Apr06 Mar06 Feb06 Jan06 as the city grew and spread beyond Dec05 Nov05 Oct05 Sep05 its former border. To see the Roman Aug05 Jul05 Jun05 May05 section stand closer to the rail and Apr05 Mar05 Feb05 Jan05 look down, this because ground level Dec04 Nov04 Oct04 Sep04 then was a few metres lower than Aug04 Jul04 Jun04 May04 now. The telltale signs are several Apr04 Mar04 Feb04 Jan04 distinctive bands of thin red Dec03 Nov03 Oct03 Sep03 bricks, these added to strengthen Aug03 Jul03 Jun03 May03 and bond the structure, and which Apr03 Mar03 Feb03 Jan03 look like layers of jam in a Dec02 Nov02 Oct02 Sep02 particularly lumpy sponge. The back to main page entire segment behind the hotel is over 20m long, thus longer than the the diamond geezer index better-known chunk outside the 2024 2023 2022 station. 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 [sideon] 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 Perhaps the best thing about this bit of wall is that you can walk my special London features through it. A couple of steps have a-z of london museums been added on each side allowing E3 - local history month passage through a low medieval arch, greenwich meridian (N) all marked with anachronistic trip greenwich meridian (S) hazard markings. If steps aren't the real eastenders your thing you can also pass round london's lost rivers the end of the wall on the flat. olympic park 2007 Round the other side are a glum great british roads alley and a staff back-entrance, oranges & lemons also an exit into a separate random boroughs backstreet past a sign that says bow road station PRIVATE No Public Right Of Way high street 2012 Beyond This Point Entry At Your Own river westbourne Risk Absolutely No Liability Is trafalgar square Accepted For Any Reason Whatsoever. capital numbers Stuff that, there's an actual Roman east london line Wall back here. lea valley walk olympics 2005 3) From a cafe terrace regent's canal square routes I've written about The City Wall at silver jubilee Vine Street before, a free unlost rivers attraction opened in 2023 beneath a cube routes block of student flats. Last time I Herbert Dip had to battle the Procedural metro-land Curmudgeon to gain admittance but capital ring I'm pleased to say they've since river fleet loosened up and you can now simply piccadilly gesture at the door, walk in and bakerloo give your first name to a flunkey with a tablet. He rattled through ten of my favourite posts the key information with all the the seven ages of blog practised enthusiasm of a call my new Z470xi mobile centre employee dictating terms and five equations of blog conditions, then sent me off down the dome of doom the stairs. chemical attraction quality & risk [postun] london 2102 single life Two walls are filled with finds from boredom the excavations, including an AD 70s april fool coin and the bones of a 1760s cat. Nobody's quite sure how the ancient ten sets of lovely photos Greek tombstone ended up here, given my "most interesting" it predates Londinium, but it has photos pride of place in a central glass london 2012 olympic zone case. The 5-minute historical harris and the hebrides animation is pretty good too, betjeman's metro-land assuming you can read quite fast. marking the meridian But the main draw is the tracing the river fleet multi-layered towering remnant of london's lost rivers wall which here has the benefit of inside the gherkin being properly illuminated and seven sisters protected from the elements. The iceland protruding lower section (which looks much too clean to be so very just surfed in? old) is all that remains of an here's where to find... original postern, and is also unique diamond geezers because all the other towers flash mob #1 #2 #3 #4 elsewhere round the City are merely ben schott's miscellany medieval. london underground watch with mother [romcafe] cigarette warnings digital time delay What's weird is that this large wheelie suitcases basement space is overlooked by a war of the worlds balcony scattered with small tables transit of venus at which sit students and top of the pops businesspeople consuming coffee and old buckenham all-day brunch. The baristas operate ladybird books from the cafe upstairs but any food acorn antiques comes from a small kitchen down digital watches below, which has the unnerving side outer hebrides effect that while you're wandering olympics 2012 around what looks like a museum it school dinners smells like an office canteen. If pet shop boys you choose to be tempted by a west wycombe cappuccino and smashed avocado on bletchley park your way out you can enjoy extra george orwell time with the Roman wall, or indeed big breakfast skip the walkthrough altogether and clapton pond focus only on refreshment with an san francisco absolutely unique view. I recommend thunderbirds a proper visit though... the routemaster visitors book awaits your praise. children's tv east enders 4) At the rear of a car park trunk roads amsterdam This is amazing on many levels, the little britain main level being subterranean. After credit cards WW2 so much of the City was in ruins jury service that planners drove a new dual big brother carriageway through the Aldersgate jubilee line area and called it London Wall. They number 1s believed cars were the future and to titan arum that end hid a linear car park typewriters directly underneath the new road. doctor who It's very narrow, very long and coronation pretty grim, indeed precisely the comments kind of filming location you'd blue peter expect a throwback crime thriller to matchgirls use for a shoot-out or kidnapping. hurricanes Cars enter down a short spiral ramp buzzwords and pedestrians through a grubby brookside side door, and the numbered concrete monopoly catacombs stretch on and on for peter pan almost 400 metres. Keep walking past starbucks the white vans, Range Rovers and the feng shui attendant's cabin, trying not to leap year attract too much attention, and manbags almost at the far end is... blimey. bbc three vision on [52park] piccadilly meridian You can't park in bays 52 and 53 concorde because they're full of Roman wembley remains. A substantial chunk of wall islington slots in diagonally beneath the ID cards joists and pillars, tall enough to bedtime incorporate two separate bands of freeview red bricks. It looks quite smooth up beckton front but fairly rubbly round the blogads back, also much thicker at the base eclipses than at the top. Obviously it's very letraset risky to have a scheduled ancient arsenal monument in a car park so protective sitcoms concrete blocks have been added to gherkin make sure nobody reverses into the calories stonework by mistake. More recently everest a glass screen has been added at one muffins end, branded 'City of London' so you sudoku know who to thank, but the other end camilla remains accessible for now (not that london you should be stepping in or even ceefax touching it). robbie becks [carpak] dome BBC2 It's the contrasts that I found most paris incongruous. A relic from Roman lotto times penned inbetween a speed hump 118 and a futile pedestrian crossing. A itv fortification from the 3rd century beside an electric van built last year. A defensive structure that helped see off the Peasants Revolt beside a poster warning what to do in the event of fire. A boundary wall once an intrinsic part of the capital now underground illuminated by strip lights. And all this at the very far end of an oppressive bunker preserved for the benefit of hardly any eyes in a parking facility only a few know to use. Sure you can see chunks of Roman wall all around the City, even from a tube platform, hotel terrace or cafe. But the oddest spot may well be here in the London Wall car park, should you ever have the balls to take a look. posted 07:00 : comments click for Older Posts >> click to return to the main page ...or read more in my monthly archives Jan25 Feb25 Mar25 Apr25 May25 Jun25 Jul25 Aug25 Sep25 Oct25 Nov25 Jan24 Feb24 Mar24 Apr24 May24 Jun24 Jul24 Aug24 Sep24 Oct24 Nov24 Dec24 Jan23 Feb23 Mar23 Apr23 May23 Jun23 Jul23 Aug23 Sep23 Oct23 Nov23 Dec23 Jan22 Feb22 Mar22 Apr22 May22 Jun22 Jul22 Aug22 Sep22 Oct22 Nov22 Dec22 Jan21 Feb21 Mar21 Apr21 May21 Jun21 Jul21 Aug21 Sep21 Oct21 Nov21 Dec21 Jan20 Feb20 Mar20 Apr20 May20 Jun20 Jul20 Aug20 Sep20 Oct20 Nov20 Dec20 Jan19 Feb19 Mar19 Apr19 May19 Jun19 Jul19 Aug19 Sep19 Oct19 Nov19 Dec19 Jan18 Feb18 Mar18 Apr18 May18 Jun18 Jul18 Aug18 Sep18 Oct18 Nov18 Dec18 Jan17 Feb17 Mar17 Apr17 May17 Jun17 Jul17 Aug17 Sep17 Oct17 Nov17 Dec17 Jan16 Feb16 Mar16 Apr16 May16 Jun16 Jul16 Aug16 Sep16 Oct16 Nov16 Dec16 Jan15 Feb15 Mar15 Apr15 May15 Jun15 Jul15 Aug15 Sep15 Oct15 Nov15 Dec15 Jan14 Feb14 Mar14 Apr14 May14 Jun14 Jul14 Aug14 Sep14 Oct14 Nov14 Dec14 Jan13 Feb13 Mar13 Apr13 May13 Jun13 Jul13 Aug13 Sep13 Oct13 Nov13 Dec13 Jan12 Feb12 Mar12 Apr12 May12 Jun12 Jul12 Aug12 Sep12 Oct12 Nov12 Dec12 Jan11 Feb11 Mar11 Apr11 May11 Jun11 Jul11 Aug11 Sep11 Oct11 Nov11 Dec11 Jan10 Feb10 Mar10 Apr10 May10 Jun10 Jul10 Aug10 Sep10 Oct10 Nov10 Dec10 Jan09 Feb09 Mar09 Apr09 May09 Jun09 Jul09 Aug09 Sep09 Oct09 Nov09 Dec09 Jan08 Feb08 Mar08 Apr08 May08 Jun08 Jul08 Aug08 Sep08 Oct08 Nov08 Dec08 Jan07 Feb07 Mar07 Apr07 May07 Jun07 Jul07 Aug07 Sep07 Oct07 Nov07 Dec07 Jan06 Feb06 Mar06 Apr06 May06 Jun06 Jul06 Aug06 Sep06 Oct06 Nov06 Dec06 Jan05 Feb05 Mar05 Apr05 May05 Jun05 Jul05 Aug05 Sep05 Oct05 Nov05 Dec05 Jan04 Feb04 Mar04 Apr04 May04 Jun04 Jul04 Aug04 Sep04 Oct04 Nov04 Dec04 Jan03 Feb03 Mar03 Apr03 May03 Jun03 Jul03 Aug03 Sep03 Oct03 Nov03 Dec03 Jan02 Feb02 Mar02 Apr02 May02 Jun02 Jul02 Aug02 Sep02 Oct02 Nov02 Dec02 Web Analytics