A remarkable archaeological discovery has been made beneath London’s Old Kent Road, where a well-preserved section of Watling Street, a nearly 2,000-year-old Roman road, has been unearthed. This road, one of Britain’s most significant Roman routes, originally connected the Roman port at Dover to the West Midlands and played a vital role in facilitating movement across Roman Britain.
The excavation, part of an infrastructure project led by Southwark Council and Veolia, uncovered the road near the junction of Old Kent Road and Ilderton Road. Archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) identified distinct layers in the road’s structure, including a foundational layer of compacted gravel, two layers of chalk, and an additional compacted sand and gravel surface. Dr. Chris Constable, Southwark’s in-house archaeology officer, praised the preservation, noting that the survival of the road in such detail exceeded expectations. “We had hoped to find traces of the road,” Dr. Constable remarked, “but the extent of its survival is truly remarkable.”
This discovery not only provides the first physical evidence of Watling Street’s existence directly beneath Old Kent Road but also adds to our understanding of the road’s historical path through London. The newly uncovered segment answers longstanding questions about the exact route, especially as a small section of it was previously excavated in the early 1990s near Cantium Retail Park.
The significance of Watling Street goes beyond the Roman era; it was a major route for emperors, including Hadrian during his visit to Britain in AD 122, and later became a key pilgrimage path to Canterbury in the medieval period. The council has announced plans to install a commemorative sign on a nearby railway bridge, marking the historical importance of the road for visitors and residents alike.
The project, as Dr. Constable noted, may continue to reveal further archaeological details about the ancient borough of Southwark and its role in Roman Britain. Today’s travelers on Old Kent Road unknowingly follow in the footsteps of ancient emperors, pilgrims, and travelers who once tread the same historic path.
Author: Jonathan Thomas
Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile who launched Anglotopia.net in 2007 to channel his passion for Britain. Londontopia is its sister publication dedicated to everything London.