Roman London Wall It has origins as an initial mound wall and ditch from AD 100 and a fort, now called Cripplegate fort after the city gate (
Cripplegate) that was subsequently built on its northern wall later on, in 120–150 The fort was later incorporated into a city-wide defence in the late 2nd or early 3rd century AD, though the reason for such a large and expensive fortification is unknown. The fort's north and west walls were thickened and doubled in height to form part of the new city wall. The incorporation of the fort's walls gave the walled area its distinctive shape in the north-west part of the city. It continued to be developed until at least the end of the 4th century, making it among the last major building projects undertaken by the
Romans before the
Roman departure from Britain in 410. Reasons for its construction may have been connected to the invasion of northern Britain by
Picts who overran
Hadrian's Wall in the 180s. This may be linked to the political crisis that emerged in the late 2nd century when the governor of Britain
Clodius Albinus was consolidating his power after claiming the right of succession as
Roman emperor. After a struggle with his rival
Septimius Severus, Albinus was defeated in 197 at the
Battle of Lugdunum (near
Lyon, France). The economic stimulus provided by the wall and Septimius's subsequent campaigns in
Scotland improved Londinium's financial prosperity in the early 3rd century.
Roman London wall characteristics The wall's gateways coincided with their alignment to the
British network of Roman roads. The original gates, clockwise from Ludgate in the west to Aldgate in the east, were:
Ludgate,
Newgate,
Cripplegate,
Bishopsgate and
Aldgate.
Aldersgate, between Newgate and Cripplegate, was added around 350. The ditch or
fossa in front of the outer wall was deep and up to wide. There were at least 22 towers spaced about apart on the eastern section of the wall.
Roman Thamesside wall Excavation work has traced a significant development of of timber-framed waterfronts to the east and west of the modern site of London Bridge, with a piece of wooden bridge found at the end of Fish Street Hill. The constructions advancing around into the
River Thames took place between the late 1st and mid-3rd centuries, highlighting that between these periods no wall stood against the river. After Londinium was raided on several occasions by
Saxon pirates in the late 3rd century, construction of an additional riverside wall, built in phases, The riverside wall may have limited access to the Thames, both commercial and otherwise, so it may have reflected a diminished level of activity within the city. It is not clear how long the riverside wall survived, but there are references to a part of it near the dock of
Queenhithe, in two charters of 889 and 898. There is currently no evidence of post-Roman restoration, so surviving sections are not likely to have been part, or an important part, of defences much after the Roman period.
Post-Roman disrepair The
end of Roman rule in Britain in 410 resulted in the wall slowly falling into disrepair, though the survival of Romano-British culture in the area is indicated by the settlement in the nearby
St Martin-in-the-Fields area of
Westminster, which persisted until around 450. The
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle notes that the Romano-British retreated back to London after their bloody defeat at the
Battle of Crecganford (
Crayford, Kent) at the hands of
Hengist and Horsa, leaders of the Saxon invaders, in 457. This suggests that London's walls retained some military value, although the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was written many centuries after the Battle of Crayford took place, if it took place at all.
Anglo-Saxon London Wall Anglo-Saxon city revival , stands on Roman foundations with an upper structure of 13th-century masonry. From 500, an
Anglo-Saxon settlement known as
Lundenwic developed in the same area slightly to the west of the abandoned Roman city, in the vicinity of the
Strand. In 886 the
King of Wessex,
Alfred the Great, formally agreed to the terms of the
Danish warlord,
Guthrum, concerning the area of political and geographical control that had been acquired by the incursion of the Vikings. Within the eastern and northern part of England, with its boundary roughly stretching from London to
Chester, the Scandinavians would establish
Danelaw.
Anglo-Saxon London Wall restoration In the same year, the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recorded that London was "refounded" by Alfred. Archaeological research shows that this involved abandonment of Lundenwic and a revival of life and trade within the old Roman walls. This was part Alfred's policy of building an in-depth defence of the
Kingdom of Wessex against the Vikings as well as creating an offensive strategy against the Vikings who controlled
Mercia. The
burh of
Southwark was also created on the south bank of the River Thames during this time. The city walls of London were repaired as the city slowly grew until about 950 when urban activity increased dramatically. A large Viking army that attacked the London burgh was defeated in 994.
Medieval London Wall forces attack the
Lancastrians during the siege of London, 12–15 May 1471. By the 11th century, London was beyond all comparison the largest town in England.
Old St Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt in the
Romanesque style by King
William the Conqueror and his successors, was on its completion
one of the longest churches in Europe.
Winchester had previously been the capital of Anglo-Saxon England, but from this time on, London was the main forum for foreign traders and the base for defence in time of war. In the view of
Frank Stenton: "It had the resources, and it was rapidly developing the dignity and the political self-consciousness appropriate to a national capital."
Medieval London Wall restoration The size and importance of London led to the redevelopment of the city's defences. During the early medieval period – following the
Norman Conquest of England – the walls underwent substantial work that included
crenellations, additional gates and further towers and bastions. Aside from the seven City Wall gates and the four bars, there are the 13 water-gates on the Thames where goods were unloaded from ships. These include Billingsgate and Bridge Gate. Additionally there were pedestrian-only gates such as the
Tower Hill Postern at
Tower Hill. A further medieval defensive feature was the restoration of the defensive ditch immediately adjacent to the outside of the wall. The street name
Houndsditch recalls a part of this former feature. This seems to have been re-cut in 1213, with the restored ditch being V-cut to a depth of and a width of between . The re-cut of the ditch may have diverted some of the waters of the
Walbrook which would otherwise have flowed through the city, and the wall itself does appear to have acted like a dam, partially obstructing the Walbrook and leading to the marshy conditions at the open space of
Moorfields, just north of the wall. As London continued to grow throughout the medieval period, urban development grew beyond the city walls. This expansion led to the suffix words "Without" and "Within" which denote whether an area of
the City – and usually applied to the
wards – fell outside or within the London Wall, though only
Farringdon and (formerly)
Bridge were split into separate wards this way (Bridge Without falling beyond the gates on
London Bridge). Some wards –
Aldersgate,
Bishopsgate and
Cripplegate – cover an area that was both within and outside the wall; although not split into separate wards, often the part (or "
division") within the Wall is denoted (on maps, in documents, etc.) as being "within" and the part outside the Wall as being "without". Archaically
infra (within) and
extra (without) were also used and the terms "intramural" and "extramural" are also used to describe being within or outside the walled part of the city. The suffix is applied to some churches and parishes near the city gateways, such as
St Audoen within Newgate and
St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate.
Blackfriars extension Edward I gave the
Dominican Friars (or Black Friars) permission to demolish and re-route the section of City wall between Ludgate and the Thames. They did this in stages between 1284 and 1320, extending the walled area as far as the
River Fleet so that it enclosed their precinct. The westward extension is likely to have improved the defensibility of Ludgate.
The Wall and the developed area . Most of the city within the walls was destroyed. In the medieval period the developed area of the city was largely confined to the City Wall, but there was extramural development, especially in the large western ward of
Farringdon Without. The wall provided security but was a constraint to accessibility and growth. The extent of the city's jurisdiction has changed little from 1000 to the modern day; but the extramural parts were long home to only a few people. A notable late change to the boundary appears to be that
Stow's Survey of London suggests that the part of
Moorfields next to the wall was still, in 1603, outside the city's jurisdiction. The boundary of the city's jurisdiction was marked by "city bars", toll gates which were situated just beyond the old walled area;
Holborn Bar,
Temple Bar,
West Smithfield Bar, and Whitechapel Bar. These were the important entrances to the city and their control was vital in maintaining the city's special privileges over certain trades.
Great Fire of London During the
Great Fire of London in September 1666, almost all of the medieval
City of London inside the wall was destroyed, but the wall and gates survived.
Demolition The seven gates to the City of London, with many repairs and rebuilding over the years, stood until they were all demolished between 1760 and 1767. Work to demolish the walls continued into the 19th century; however, large sections of the wall were incorporated into other structures.
20th century London Wall Second World War London Blitz The Blitz during the Second World War, through the sheer scale of bombing and destruction of buildings and the surrounding landscape, revealed numerous parts of the London Wall. At 00:15 on 28 August 1940, during the pre-wave of bombing before the Blitz, buildings and parts of the wall were destroyed between Fore Street and
St. Alphage's churchyard gardens around
Cripplegate. This revealed parts of the wall unseen for over 300 years as the rubble of buildings destroyed around it were removed. On 29 December 1940, heavy bombing led to conditions known as the
Second Great Fire of London. Bomb damage revealed a section of wall at Noble Street, near the
Museum of London.
Post-war loss In 1957, a 64-metre section of the wall was uncovered during works on the London Wall road; the section was then destroyed to accommodate the road changes and to make way for a new car park. An 11-metre section has been preserved.
Conservation and heritage efforts In 1984, the Museum of London set up a Wall Walk from the Tower of London to the museum, using 23 tiled panels. A number of these have been destroyed in subsequent years. At Noble Street, the panels were replaced by etched glass panels. These were intended as a prototype for new panels along the entire walk, but no further replacements have been made. One of the largest and most readily accessed fragments of the wall stands just outside
Tower Hill tube station, with a replica statue of the Emperor
Trajan standing in front of it. There is a further surviving section preserved in the basement of the
One America Square building. There are further remains in the basement of the
Old Bailey.
Impact on current city The layout of the Roman and medieval walls have had a profound effect on the development of London, even down to the present day. by the road also named London Wall. The modern road starts in the west with the Rotunda junction at Aldersgate, then runs east past
Moorgate, from which point it runs parallel to the line of the City Wall, and eventually becomes
Wormwood Street before it reaches
Bishopsgate. This alignment, however, is the result of rebuilding between 1957 and 1976. Before this, London Wall was narrower, and ran behind the line of the City Wall for its entire length, from Wormwood Street to Wood Street. The western section is now St Alphage Garden. == Course ==