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at Regis House  

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Discovering trade and transport
at Regis House
Photograph of two walls of massive timbers interlocking to make a right-angled corner. An archaeologist crouches in the foreground at the foot of the wall measuring it. Magnifing glass image

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Wooden quay and warehouse structures excavated at Regis House

In 1998 archaeologists were working at Regis House. They found evidence of Londinium's first port.

In Roman times the River Thames was much wider than it is today. The Roman port wasn't where the modern waterfront is. It was further back, where Pudding Lane is today. People have been building and dumping rubbish into the Thames ever since, burying the Roman buildings underneath.

 
Map showing the city walls containing a grid of roads and a network of roads radiating out. The river was much wider then than it is now, and had marshes and islands along both banks. The Regis House site is marked just north of the riverbank, by London Bridge. Magnifing glass image

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Map of Londinium

What did the archaeologists find?

They found evidence of a wooden quay built in about AD63. It was about two metres high. Behind the quay there was a warehouse divided into 6 bays. It had an open fronted entrance with shutters or sliding doors. This was probably used for storing goods that were being brought into Londinium or sent overseas. The waterfronts were replaced or extended about every 30 years.

 
Plan showing the north bank of the river, a quay running along the bank, and a row of six rectangular warehouses north of the quay. Magnifing glass image

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Plan of the quay and warehouses

Why is this evidence important?

Some of Londinium's earliest buildings are near the River Thames. The river and the port were the main reasons Londinium grew so fast. Evidence from the port can give us important information about how the town developed.

 
Line and wash illustration. A blank disc of metal is placed on a form resting on a large block of wood. One man sits to the left holding a second form to shape the top side of the coin. On the right a second man stands and prepares to strike the top form with a hammer.

Trade and transport: crafty links

Line and wash drawing of a single-masted boat with a square rigged sail. The hull of the boat is built of overlapping timber planks. Part of the deck is cut away to make a ‘well' deeper than the height of the man who stands in it looking at the heaped cargo.

Evidence of trade and transport

Photograph of a masonry wall with a parallel ditch in front. One archaeologist sits to the right with a clipboard, the other stands behind the wall

Archaeology in action

Photograph of two archaeologists inside the low walls of a room, recording the timber floorboards and supporting joists

Discovering trade and transport: in detail

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