Blasts from the past

April 1, 2003
<b>Developers building on brownfield sites in some of Britain&amp;’s older cities would do well to consider the consequences of an archaeological find on site. As Stephen Hoare reports, if ancient remains are found on your land, the best bet is to go with the flow and regard the dig as a PR opportunity</b><br><b>At first glance George Wimpey&amp;’s construction site at the Highway, Shadwell looks just like any other building project. Workers in hard hats and dayglo vests are digging trenches while a 360 degree excavator tears into a bank of earth, tipping bucketfuls of waterlogged London clay into a dumper.</b><br> But closer inspection reveals an interesting twist to the task of digging foundations - these foundations are almost 2,000 years old and are part of what archaeologists are calling the most exciting discovery to be made in London in the past quarter of a century. Four meters below pavement level workers have uncovered a Roman baths - possibly part of a palace - with a section of wall still standing to a height of 1.5 metres. Neat rows of stacked tile pillars are all that remain of a room that once boasted mosaic floors and sub floor heating system or …

Continue reading

To continue reading this article please login or register.

Login

Forgot your password?

Register for free

Quick and free registration

Register