London’s Roman Wall: A Self-Guided Walk

It is difficult to picture now, but for most of London’s history, the shape of the city was defined by its huge perimeter wall.

Walking the route of the old Roman and medieval city walls, is a great way of getting in touch with London’s past. It is also a very pleasant walk that takes you through some fascinating parts of the city.

Here is my suggested self-guided walk (roughly 4km). Along the way you’ll find crumbling medieval towers, great imposing walls and ruins in some surprising places…

Introduction

No-one can quite agree why the Romans decided to build a wall around Londinium, as it was known then. Nevertheless, in 200AD, the wall was built and was one of the largest construction projects in Roman Britain. Over the medieval and Tudor periods, the wall was added to, maintained and enhanced.

Below is a brilliant map from Layers of London of Tudor London showing the wall, its moat and gatehouses. I will use sections of this map throughout the walk to help you get your bearings.

In the 18th century, as London expanded, the gates and parts of the wall were destroyed, primarily to improve traffic flow. The remaining ruins are now scheduled monuments, often looking slightly adrift in a sea of glass and steel.

Along the way you will see these plaques (below)- laid out by the Museum of London in the 1980s. They have some very interesting pictures and text but don’t bother trying to follow their suggested route as lots have been lost over time.

Start: The Tower of London and Medieval Postern Gate

When William the Conqueror built the Tower of London in 1077 he incorporated a section of Roman wall into it. This was unfortunately lost during medieval upgrades to the Tower. You can still see the line of the old wall however inside the Tower, should you visit.

For our first stop we are at the ruins of a medieval postern gate. Built between 1297-1308, it was located at the point where the wall met the moat of the Tower of London. It was used as a pedestrian gate and defensive tower, right up until at least the 17th century.

The postern gate was uncovered during excavations in 1979 and had only survived because part of it had subsided and was buried in 1440.

Tower Hill Roman Wall

This is where you can see one of the best surviving sections of London’s wall. In the Roman period it would have been roughly 6m tall and is now 10m due to medieval additions. It gives you a great sense of how imposing the wall would’ve been to those inside and out.

The Roman wall was built predominantly of Kentish ragstone (roughly one million blocks) brought on barges from Maidstone.

To work out which bit is Roman, look out for the lines of red tiles. The Romans included these horizontal lines to strengthen the structure, possibly as a spirit level during construction or possibly to stop damp rising through the wall.

This Eastern section of the wall in the Roman period had up to 20 bastions (projecting parts of the wall from which to defend).

The statue was installed here in the 1980’s and is thought to be of Emperor Trajan. He did not have anything to do with the wall and never visited Britain but it adds a nice bit of atmosphere I think!

Cooper’s Row

Walk to Cooper’s Row and through the entrance/carpark area of the Leonardo Royal London City hotel. This is probably the best surviving section of the wall.

You can still see archer’s loopholes here in the medieval section of the wall. According to the Museum of London there would have likely been a timber structure behind the wall to give archers access to these holes.

It appears to be sitting in a trough due to the rise in ground level since the Roman period.

The name Cooper’s Row comes from the coopers or cask makers who used to store their casks in the recesses in the wall here.

How has it survived? Well, over the years it became incorporated into the foundations and walls of industrial and residential buildings. It was rediscovered during the construction of a warehouse in 1864. It was decided by the then owner of the warehouse to preserve the wall. During excavations in 1962 the remains of a rectangular Roman turret were discovered which likely had a stairway within it to access the parapet.

Aldgate

Walk along Vine Street for our next stop. There is a stretch of Roman Wall in the basement of the buildings on your left, currently a building site. Included in the building works there is apparently a plan to fit viewing panels.

You will now be where the Aldgate used to stand: one of the seven gates in the city walls. This open area still has a palpable feeling of being on the edge of the city. A gate was built here by the Romans over the road to Colchester: one of their major thoroughfares.

The etymology of the name ‘Aldgate’ is disputed. Theories include that it comes from ‘Aeld Gate’, i.e. ‘Old Gate’, ‘All-gate’, meaning that it was free to all, or that it comes from ‘Ale-Gate’ in relation to an ale-house.

Geoffrey Chaucer, of Canterbury Tales fame, lived in rooms above the Aldgate from 1374 whilst he was a customs official for the Port of London. More on some of the other uses of the gates below in the Bishopsgate section!

It was pulled down in the 18th century with the rest of the gates.

Note the name of the church here (also on the map): St Botolph without Aldgate- meaning it was outside the Aldgate. St Botolph was the patron saint of travelers. A church dedicated to him is therefore often found at the city gates, for people setting off on their travels! We will see a couple more on our walk.

Have a look at the plaque here about the archaeological dig on this site in 2013.

Houndsditch

As you set off on the next section of the walk, note the street name- Houndsditch. There was a outer ditch around the exterior of the wall. The name Houndsditch is thought to be named for the fact that this particular area of ditch was a popular spot for the Romans to dispose of their dead dogs. Indeed, during 20th century excavations, quite a lot of dog skeletons were found here! You can see it on the map above.

The plaque on the side of Bevis Marks synagogue has a good depiction of the area in the time of Elizabeth I.

Bishopsgate

Again, there is nothing left of Bishopsgate, but the bishop’s mitre adorning the wall of Boots is a nod to what was once here.

Bishopsgate was burnt down by the Yorkists, who attacked London in 1471 during the Wars of the Roses. It was rebuilt by merchants in exchange for steelyard privileges. Bishopsgate was famous for, along with other gates, having the heads or body parts of recently executed criminals displayed on spikes atop the gate!

A curfew was rung by the church bells at 9pm. At this point the gates and portcullises were shut and only opened at 6am or sunrise, whichever came later. During the night, citizens would have to stay in their houses and no-one would be allowed into the city.

As well as for security, the gates were also used as checkpoints to collect any tolls and often also as prisons.

Again, note the church St Botolph without Bishopsgate here.

All Hallows On The Wall and Moorgate

You will now follow the road: London Wall, which more or less follows the line of the old wall.

All Hallows On The Wall church was built around 1120AD on one of the old Roman bastions. It would have been neatly tucked against the wall and indeed the foundations of the Northern wall of the church incorporate some of the Roman wall.

This proximity to the wall meant that it managed to survive the Great Fire in 1666. It was rebuilt in 1765 by George Dance the Younger.

The section of wall by the entrance to the church is mainly 18th century but incorporates some of the old medieval wall. You can see the church tucked against the wall and bastion on the map below.

On the way to the next stop you’ll pass by the site of Moorgate. It is first mentioned in the early 15th century as a small postern gate and replaced with a bigger one around 1415. The name ‘Moorgate’ comes from the marshy land or Moorfields just outside the Northern wall.

St Alphage Wall

We now arrive at the site of the original Roman fort or ‘Barbican’. Built around 120AD, the Barbican was in place before the wall and would have housed 1000 Roman soldiers. You can see its location on the map above. When the wall was constructed it incorporated the Northern and Western walls of the fort into it.

Here you will find the ruins of the church St Alphage. Similar to All Hallows On The Wall, the first mention of the church was in the early 12th century and it was built adjoining the wall.

The church fell into decay and at the turn of the 20th century was partly dismantled. It then was gutted during the Second World War. The remains of the 14th century tower with its ghostly arches are now grade ii listed.

The former churchyard is bounded on the North by a significant remaining section of Roman and medieval wall, exposed partly by Second World War bombs. The upper portion of the wall is thought to have been added during the Wars of the Roses, when London really was under threat.

On the map below you can see the church.

Cripplegate

The Barbican we know today; the post-war brutalist social housing estate, was of course named after the fort. The fort is also remembered in the names of the walkways such as ‘The Postern’ and ‘Bastion Highwalk’.

You will first come across the site of the Cripplegate: a gate added into the Northern wall of the Roman fort.

The name is thought to come from either; the old English word ‘crepel’, meaning a low passageway, or named for the ‘cripples’ who would beg for alms here. In the reign of Charles II (1660-1685) all the gates were wedged open and doors unhinged. From then on they provided more of a ceremonial entrance than a defensive one.

You will see the church of St Giles without Cripplegate, originally built in 1090 (also on the map above). The Church has a fascinating history: Oliver Cromwell was married here and John Milton is buried here. Pop in and have a look around if you get the chance!

The Barbican Walls And Tower

The wall you can see here is predominantly medieval. Make sure you look out for the remains of some of the towers that would have punctuated the wall. The lake is a brilliant reminder of the defensive moat/ditch that ran around the exterior of the wall.

The medieval tower at one end of the wall marks the North Western corner of the fort and wall. It became largely buried over the years and was only uncovered by bombs in the Second World War. It was fully revealed during the subsequent building of the Barbican estate.

In peacetime the towers were used for all sorts of purposes, with this one thought to have been occupied by hermits.

Museum of London Tower

I believe you now have to circle back round onto Wood Street and then along London Wall but there may be a quicker way! (The Barbican can be a bit of a maze).

Here you will see another tower, added in the 13th century to strengthen the defences of the Roman Wall. It became a house in peacetime with the arrow-slits acting as the windows.

Again, Blitz bombs revealed this tower after it had been essentially incorporated into, and obscured by, buildings since the 18th century.

Barber-Surgeon’s Hall Tower

Here you will see another defensive tower installed in the 13th century. It became incorporated into the Barber-Surgeons Hall in the 17th century.

It was heavily damaged in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and again the Blitz when both the hall and tower were pretty much destroyed. The new Barber-Surgeons Hall on your right was built in 1969.

Carry on walking round to see the Barbican medieval tower from another angle.

Before heading over to Noble Street for the final impressive section of wall, you can head into the subterranean depths of the London Wall carpark. In bay 53 you will find, not a car, but another section of the wall! Be warned, it is a very long carpark…

Noble Street Wall and Aldersgate

Here is the final section of wall that is visible to us now. It also was uncovered by World War Two bombs and Roman sections can be seen at the bottom.

Towards the end you will see the remains of a sentry tower that would have been used to access the parapet of the wall.

At the end of this stretch, turn right and you will come across the site of Aldersgate. This gate was added in the later Roman period.

End: Newgate, Ludgate and Blackfriars

We will now follow the line of the wall down past the final 2 gates: Newgate and Ludgate. Both were similarly imposing gates with a double roadway and flanking guard towers. Newgate was used as a prison from at least the 12th century.

The name Ludgate is thought to probably derive from ‘flood gate’ or ‘Fleet gate’ as it led out to the, now buried, River Fleet. Alternatively it may come from ‘ludgeat’, meaning back gate. The statue of Queen Elizabeth I, on the outside of St Dunstan in the West on Fleet Street, used to be on the Ludgate. It was carved in her reign and is the only public statue of Elizabeth in London.

You can see a plaque denoting the site of the Ludgate on the side of St Martin Within Ludgate.

We finish the walk down by Blackfriars station. The Romans did also build a stretch that ran along the banks of the Thames in the late 3rd century but none of this remains to be seen today. It is thought that this was eroded and destroyed by the river in the subsequent centuries.

The Blackfriars Monastery, eventually dissolved in the 16th century under Henry VIII, was set up in 1278 outside the city walls. However, later on in the 13th century, the walls were moved westwards to incorporate the monastery.

So there we have it, I hope you enjoyed. If you go on the walk, do let me know!

More London history walks and hidden gems below…