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Fragments of richly coloured wall plaster from the highly decorated rooms of a wealthy household
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What happened after Boudica's rebellion?
A few years after Boudica's army destroyed the first town there was an
explosion of building work as Londinium was rebuilt. The forum, basilica,
public baths and fort were all under construction by AD100, by which time
settlement was becoming dense. The next century was Londinium's heyday as a
major port and capital of the province.
During the third and fourth centuries the settlement pattern changed. The
public baths went out of fashion, and there is less evidence for trade.
There seem to have been fewer, larger houses in the city itself. Many
wealthy people lived in villas in the countryside by this date.
By AD410, when the Emperor Honorius refused to defend Britain, Londinium's
forum had long been demolished and the Southwark settlement abandoned.
People still lived in Londinium but the settlement was smaller than before.
The Saxon invaders chose not to live in towns and Londinium was gradually
abandoned.
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