Discovering The Remains Of London’s Roman Amphitheatre

London, at its heart, is a Roman city, founded just after the Roman invasion in 43AD. Many Roman remnants survive today including sections of the wall, a temple and bathhouses. 

An important Roman town also needs an amphitheatre. It was assumed that Londinium, as the Roman city was known, must have had an amphitheatre but prior to the 1980s they had no idea where it was.

The amazing model of Roman London in the crypt of All Hallows by the Tower for example was created in the 1960s and does not include it. You can read about the treasures to be found in the crypt of All Hallows here.

In the 1990s the City of London started rebuilding the Guildhall Art Gallery after the Blitz destroyed the previous gallery. During a standard excavation before construction began, they made one of the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries in London’s history: a series of Roman stone remains, laid out in a giant oval… 

Rebuilding the Art Gallery

The City was very heavily bombed during the Blitz. After the war the Guildhall roof had been destroyed, the council chambers and offices levelled and the art gallery left as a shell.

The architect Giles Gilbert Scott was enlisted to design a new roof for the Guildhall in the 1950s and the yard was later redesigned by his son Richard Gilbert Scott.

Due to other parts of the Guildhall complex taking priority, the Lord Mayor only laid the foundation stone for the new gallery in 1994.

It was a long and arduous process, with a great deal of back and forth over the design. You can read Richard Gilbert Scott’s full report on it here, including when the discovery of the nest of a Black Redstart, a rare bird, was discovered, delaying the construction by months. 

A delay was also caused when, in 1988, one of the entranceways to the Roman amphitheatre was uncovered. The remains were immediately declared a national monument and could not be moved nor any of the soil a metre and a half below them. 

Gilbert Scott says ‘The retention of the Roman stones, which had to be cocooned in their own mini-chamber at an even temperature, and suspended during construction, must make them the most expensive stones in Britain.’

They remain in that special chamber today, right down in the basement of the Guildhall Art Gallery. They opened to the public in 2002 for the first time in nearly 2000 years. 

Londinium’s Colosseum

From around 70AD Roman London started to gain large civic buildings such as a Basilica (containing law courts, administration, government spaces), a Forum (a large public square), a Governor’s Palace and an amphitheatre. 

The first amphitheatre was constructed of wood before being rebuilt predominantly in stone in the early 2nd century. 

Laid out in an elliptical shape, the amphitheatre measured 100 metres by 85 metres. In the Guildhall yard today, outside the gallery, you can see a circle of black stones laying out the perimeter, giving you a sense of its grand scale.

It would have had a capacity of about 6-7k when the population of the city was only 20-30k. The masses would have been seated on banks of wooden benches whereas dignitaries would have been seated in covered boxes. 

Gladiator Fights

The amphitheatre would have been the venue for huge public spectacles such as public executions. Although there is very little archaeological evidence, it was also likely the site of gladiatorial combat and wild animal fights. 

The Colchester Vase, was recently proven to be locally made and decorated, suggesting that gladiator fights were a part of life in Roman Britain. You can read an article on the findings here.

Gladiator fights are thought to have originated in the funeral ceremonies of Roman elites and became increasingly popular forms of entertainment. Gladiators were often slaves, trained up and then given a range of weapons and armour. If they were successful it could sometimes result in rewards and even freedom. 

In the chamber today, in the basement of the Guildhall the atmosphere is created with sound effects and projections. 

Rather incredibly you can also see the remains of some original wooden, Roman drainage in the floor.

How To Visit

The art gallery and the amphitheatre are totally free to visit and is open Mon-Sun 10.30am-4pm.

You can also go on free guided tours of the gallery (highly recommended). They are available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 12:15pm and 1:15pm and last 30-45 minutes. No booking is required. 

Find out more about visiting here. 

Thank you for reading, more of London amazing hidden history below!