Roman and medieval revetments

on the Thames waterfront

Excavations at Riverbank House, City of London, 20069
Anthony Mackinder

MUSEUM OF LONDON ARCHAEOLOGY ARCHAEOLOGY STUDIES SERIES 33

MOLA

Roman and medieval revetments

on the Thames waterfront
Excavations at Riverbank House, City of London,
20069

MOLA Archaeology Studies Series

For more information about these titles and other MOLA publications
visit the publications page at www.mola.org.uk

17 A Roman drainage culvert, Great Fire destruction debris and other

evidence from hillside sites north-east of London Bridge: excavations
at Monument House and 1321 Eastcheap, City of London

1 A 14th-century pottery site in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey:

excavations at 7076 Eden Street

18 Late 17th- to 19th-century burial and earlier occupation at All

Saints, Chelsea old church, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

2 Excavations at 7275 Cheapside/8393 Queen Street, City of

London

19 Roman waterfront development at 12 Arthur Street, City of

London

3 Bankside: excavations at Benbow House, Southwark, London SE1

20 Finsburys moated manor, medieval land use and later development

in the Finsbury Square area, Islington

4 A Romano-British cemetery on Watling Street: excavations at

165 Great Dover Street, Southwark, London
5 Excavations at 25 Cannon Street, City of London: from the
Middle Bronze Age to the Great Fire
6 The London Millennium Bridge: excavation of the medieval and
later waterfronts at Peters Hill, City of London, and Bankside,
Southwark
7 An excavation in the western cemetery of Roman London: Atlantic
House, City of London
8 The Roman tower at Shadwell, London: a reappraisal
9 Early modern industry and settlement: excavations at George Street,
Richmond, and High Street, Mortlake, in the London Borough of
Richmond upon Thames
10 Roman burials, medieval tenements and suburban growth:
201 Bishopsgate, City of London
11 Investigating the maritime history of Rotherhithe: excavations
at Pacific Wharf, 165 Rotherhithe Street, Southwark
12 Medieval and later urban development at High Street, Uxbridge:
excavations at the Chimes Shopping Centre, London Borough of
Hillingdon
13 Pre-Boudican and later activity on the site of the forum:
excavations at 168 Fenchurch Street, City of London
14 Roman and medieval development south of Newgate: excavations
at 39 Newgate Street and 1617 Old Bailey, City of London
15 The Doulton stoneware pothouse in Lambeth: excavations at
9 Albert Embankment, London
16 Becoming Roman: excavation of a Late Iron Age to RomanoBritish landscape at Monkston Park, Milton Keynes

21 The City Bunhill burial ground, Golden Lane, London:

excavations at South Islington schools, 2006
22 Stepney Gasworks: the archaeology and history of the Commercial
Gas Light and Coke Companys works at Harford Street, London E1,
18371946
23 Medieval settlement to 18th-/19th-century rookery: excavations at
Central Saint Giles, London Borough of Camden, 20068
24 New Bunhill Fields burial ground, Southwark: excavations at
Globe Academy, 2008
25 The Hope playhouse, animal baiting and later industrial activity at
Bear Gardens on Bankside: excavations at Riverside House and New
Globe Walk, Southwark, 19992000
26 Roman and medieval development south of Cheapside: excavations
at Bow Bells House, City of London, 20056
27 At the limits of Lundenwic: excavations in the north-west of
Middle Saxon London at St Martins Courtyard, 20078
28 Prehistoric to medieval landscape and settlement at Kemsley, near
Sittingbourne, Kent: excavations 20035
29 Roman roadside settlement and rural landscape at Brentford:
archaeological investigations at Hilton London Syon Park Hotel,
200410
30 Medieval Haywharf to 20th-century brewery: excavations at
Watermark Place, City of London
31 Roman occupation south-east of the forum: excavations at 20
Fenchurch Street, City of London, 20089
32 Urban development in the north-west of Londinium: excavations at
120122 Cheapside to 1418 Gresham Street, City of London, 20057
33 Roman and medieval revetments on the Thames waterfront:
excavations at Riverbank House, City of London, 20069

Roman and medieval

revetments on the
Thames waterfront
Excavations at Riverbank House,
City of London, 20069

Anthony Mackinder

MOLA ARCHAEOLOGY STUDIES SERIES 33

Published by MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology)

Copyright MOLA 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in

a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission
of the copyright owner.
The Ordnance Survey mapping included in this publication is
Crown copyright, Ordnance Survey. All rights reserved.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Production and series design by Tracy Wellman

Typesetting and design by Sue Cawood
Reprographics by Andy Chopping
Copy editing by Simon Burnell
Series editing by Sue Hirst/Susan M Wright
Printed in the United Kingdom by Henry Ling Ltd
at the Dorset Press, an ISO 14001 certified printer

Front cover: lead-alloy openwork panel <S69> depicting the life and death of
Thomas of Lancaster, executed 1322 (Fig 81)

CONTRIBUTORS

Principal author

Anthony Mackinder

Documentary research

John Schofield with Tony

Dyson

Ceramic building material

Ian M Betts

Roman pottery

Amy Thorp with Joanna

Bird

Medieval and post-medieval

pottery

Jacqui Pearce

Accessioned finds

Jackie Keily with Geoff

Egan

Numismatica

Julian Bowsher

Woodworking evidence

Damian Goodburn

Plant remains

Anne Davis with Allan Hall

Animal bone

Alan Pipe

Leather

Beth Richardson

Photography

Edwin Baker, Andy

Chopping, Maggie Cox

Graphics

Carlos Lemos, Hannah

Faux

Project manager

Sophie Jackson

Post-excavation manager

Lucy Whittingham

Editor

Bruno Barber

CONTENTS

List of figures

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

List of tables

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xii

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xiii

Summary

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1.1

Site location

1.2

Medieval waterfront archaeology in the City of

London

The Roman riverside, c AD 120400 (period 1)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.3

Geology and topography

1.4

Circumstances and dates of fieldwork

1.5

Organisation of the report

1.6

Textual and graphical conventions

2.1

Introduction

2.2

Archaeological evidence

formation, c 10001100 (period 2)

. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . .

The 3rd-century AD waterfront

. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11

3.2

Archaeological evidence

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

12

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

12

Saxo-Norman deposits and features

4.2

The 2nd-century AD waterfront

Documentary evidence

c 11001200 (period 3)

3.1

4 4.1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Discussion (period 1)

12th-century waterfronts and buildings,

2.3

3.3

xiv

. . . . . . . . . . .

Roman leather

Saxo-Norman occupation and ?tenement

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . .

12

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15

Documentary evidence

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16

Archaeological evidence

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16

Discussion (period 2)

Introduction

Earlier 12th-century waterfront reclamation

(period 3, phase 1)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17

Later 12th-century waterfront reclamation

(period 3, phase 2)

Later medieval waterfronts and buildings,

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4.3

Discussion (period 3)

5.1

Documentary evidence

c 12001450 (period 4)

Introduction

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

25

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26

Tenements 15
5.2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Archaeological evidence
Introduction

19

26

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27

Early 13th-century waterfront reclamation

(period 4, phase 1)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27

Further early 13th-century waterfront reclamation

(period 4, phase 2)
vi

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34

?Mid 13th-century waterfront reclamation

(period 4, phase 3)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

38

Late 13th-century waterfront reclamation

(period 4, phase 4)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

43

Early to mid 14th-century waterfront reclamation

(period 4, phase 5)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

48

Mid 14th-century waterfront reclamation

(period 4, phase 6)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

56

Late 14th- to early 15th-century waterfront

reclamation (period 4, phase 7)

The early post-medieval riverside,

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

59

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

65

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

66

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

66

5.3

Discussion (period 4)

6.1

Documentary evidence

c 14501700 (period 5)

Introduction

Tenements 15
6.2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Archaeological evidence
Introduction

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

68

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

68

Properties fronting Swan Lane

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Properties fronting Thames Street

The later post-medieval riverside,

c 17001900 (period 6)

66

68

. . . . . . . . . . .

69

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

71

6.3

Discussion (period 5) .

7.1

Documentary evidence

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

73

7.2

Archaeological evidence

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

73

Properties fronting Thames Street and Dyers Hall

Wharf

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Properties fronting Swan Lane

Other activity

Aspects of the medieval waterfront

73

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

74

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

76

7.3

Discussion (period 6)

8.1

Medieval waterfront woodworking

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . .

Summary of medieval waterfront development

. . . .

76
77
77

The work of some of the last treewrights and first

carpenters in London
The medieval treescape

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

77

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

81

Materials and labour in the 14th century

8.2

82

Pottery from the medieval and post-medieval

waterfronts

8.3

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

83

Overview of period 2 pottery

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

83

Overview of period 3 pottery

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

83

Overview of period 4 pottery

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

84

Overview of period 5 pottery

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

90

Accessioned finds from the medieval and postmedieval waterfronts

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

93
vii

Introduction

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Pilgrim souvenirs and other religious items

. . . . . .

94

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

96

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

97

Industry and tools

Dress accessories

The assemblage over time

8.4

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Plant remains from the medieval waterfronts

102

. . . . . . . . . . .

102

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

104

Stable waste
8.5

9.1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Building materials
Summary

106

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

106

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

106

Roman pottery

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Introduction and methodology

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Overview of the decorated samian

9.3

. . . . . . . . . .

Medieval and post-medieval pottery

108
108
108

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

108

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

109

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

109

Roman accessioned finds

Introduction

108

. . . . . . . . .

Summary of selected pottery

9.4

104

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Introduction
9.2

104

Leather from the medieval and post-medieval

waterfronts

Specialist appendices

98

. . . .

Dyeplants and textile processing

Foods

93

Catalogue of illustrated Roman accessioned

finds
9.5

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Medieval accessioned finds

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

111
111

Catalogue of illustrated medieval accessioned

finds
9.6

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Coins, tokens and jettons

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

120

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

120

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

120

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

120

Introduction
Discussion
Conclusions

Catalogue of illustrated tokens

9.7

Plant remains

. . . . . . . . . . . .

120

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

121

Introduction and methodology

Results
9.8

111

. . . . . . . . . . . .

121

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

124

Animal bone

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Introduction and methodology

. . . . . . . . . . . .

124

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

124

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

125

Species composition
Modification

124

Pathological changes

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

126

Stature estimates and metrical data for the

major domesticates

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Comparison with the Watermark Place assemblage

viii

126
126

9.9

Leather

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Introduction

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

126
126

Catalogue of illustrated Roman leather

. . . . . . .

127

Catalogue of illustrated medieval leather

. . . . . . .

127

French and German summaries

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

128

Bibliography

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

130

Index

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

135

ix

FIGURES

Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 3

Fig 4

Fig 5
Fig 6
Fig 7
Fig 8
Fig 9

Fig 10
Fig 11
Fig 12
Fig 13

Fig 14
Fig 15
Fig 16
Fig 17
Fig 18
Fig 19
Fig 20
Fig 21

Fig 22

Map showing the location of the site and other

sites mentioned in the text . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View from London Bridge showing the site in the
course of redevelopment in 2009 . . . . . . . . . .
Plan showing the location of archaeological
trenches and watching brief areas at Riverbank
House and adjacent sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View of archaeologists recording timbers of
medieval revetments on the east side of the site
(W4, W10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Graphical conventions used in this report . . . . . .
Plan of principal archaeological features of period 1
(c AD 120400) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selected accessioned finds from period 1
(c AD 120400) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
South-facing elevation of the late Roman riverside
wall (S1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View of work in progress on the late Roman
riverside wall (S1), also showing the underlying
dockside building (B1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Iron tools <S8> and <S9> from Open Area 2 . . . .
Plan of the northern part of the site in period 2
(c 10001100) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View of ?tenement building (B2) built against the
truncated late Roman riverside wall (S1) . . . . . .
Reconstruction of the location and extent of
medieval tenements 15 on the site, also showing
parish boundaries and trench outlines . . . . . . . .
Plan of the northern part of the site in period 3
(c 11001200) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Elements of the early 12th-century stave-built
revetment (W2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Detail plan of mid 12th-century stave-built cellar
or undercroft (B4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Grooved stave-wall baseplate timbers [5065], [5066]
and [5079] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lead-alloy pilgrim souvenir of Our Lady of Le
Puy-en-Velay, France <S64> . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Detail plan of Waterfront 4, with a conjectural
reconstruction of the waterfront . . . . . . . . . . .
View of the front brace assembly (W4) under
excavation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plan of late 12th-century revetments (W5, W6)
and their conjectured relationship to a contemporary
revetment at Swan Lane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View showing the planking of Waterfront 5
slumping, with the baseplate [5091] of the later
Waterfront 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5
6

10

.
.

10
13

14

14

17

18

19

20

20

21

22

22

23

23

Fig 23 View showing baseplate [5091] and post [5092]

of Waterfront 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 24 Plan of early 13th-century activity in the east of
the site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 25 View showing the landward side of the sheathing
planking of Waterfront 7 with well-preserved saw
marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 26 Tools, household items and horse accessories from
Waterfront 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 27 Dress accessories and religious items from
Waterfront 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 28 Accessioned finds from the west end of Waterfront 7
Fig 29 Leather knife sheaths <L2> and <L3> from
Waterfront 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 30 Accessioned finds from Waterfront 8 . . . . . . . .
Fig 31 Plan of Waterfronts 9 and 10 and their conjectured
relationship to one recorded at Swan Lane . . . . .
Fig 32 Accessioned finds from foreshore deposits
associated with Waterfront 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 33 Details of baseplate timber [5109] from
Waterfront 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 34 Plan of early/mid 13th-century revetments (W11,
W12, W13, W16, W17) and their conjectured
relationship to one recorded at Swan Lane . . . . .
Fig 35 View of Waterfront 11 with front brace [5101] . . .
Fig 36 Part-melted lead-alloy object <S59>, decorated
with a lion passant, from dumping associated with
Waterfront 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 37 Details of selected timbers from Waterfront 17 . . .
Fig 38 Copper-alloy dress accessories and household
items from Open Area 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 39 Plan of late 13th-century revetments (W14, W15,
W20) and their conjectured relationship to one
recorded at Swan Lane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 40 Waterfront 14, showing recorded timbers and as
reconstructed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 41 Iron auger spoon bit <S7> from Waterfront 14 . . .
Fig 42 Late 13th-century shoes and boots <L7><L9>
from Waterfront 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 43 View of Waterfront 20 with timber drain (S3) and
chalk foundation of Building 11 . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 44 Plan of Waterfronts 18 and 21 and drains (S2S3),
showing their conjectured relationship to a drain
and revetment found at Swan Lane . . . . . . . . .
Fig 45 View of Waterfront 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 46 Details of the key structural timbers of
Waterfront 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 47 View of Waterfront 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 48 Details of the timbers of an elaborate land-tie
assembly from Waterfront 21, with a partial
reconstruction of the revetment . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 49 Accessioned finds associated with a mid 14thcentury timber drain (S2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 50 View of imported ?wine cask reused as a sump in
a 14th-century timber drain (S3) . . . . . . . . . .
Fig 51 Plan of Waterfront 19 and its conjectured

24

28

29

30

31
32

32
34

35

36

37

39
40

40
41

43

44

.
.

45
46

47

48

49
50

51
53

53

54

55

Fig 52

Fig 53
Fig 54
Fig 55
Fig 56

Fig 57
Fig 58
Fig 59
Fig 60

Fig 61
Fig 62
Fig 63
Fig 64
Fig 65
Fig 66
Fig 67
Fig 68
Fig 69
Fig 70
Fig 71
Fig 72

relationship to one found at Swan Lane . . . . . . . . 56

View of piles supporting the baseplate of Waterfront
19 and showing the relationship to the front brace
baseplate of the earlier Waterfront 18 . . . . . . . . . 57
Details of timbers from Waterfront 19 . . . . . . . . . 57
Accessioned finds associated with the infilling of
Waterfront 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Decorated leather sheath <L4> from the infilling
of Waterfront 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Iron cup-and-pricket candle holder <S20> from
Open Area 14 and decorated shoe vamp <L10> from
Open Area 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Copper-alloy spout <S26> from Open Area 15 . . . . 60
Household items and dress accessories from
Open Area 16 dumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Lead-alloy secular and religious badges from
Open Area 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Plan of late 14th-/early 15th-century Waterfronts 22
and 23, also showing their uncertain relationship to
two late medieval revetments found at Swan Lane . . 63
View of Waterfront 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
The river frontage from Angel Alley to Ebbgate,
from the low-level panorama of the city c 1530 . . . . 67
Plan of brick cellar (B13), cesspit (S4) and drain (S5) . 68
Accessioned finds from the backfilled cellar (B13) . . 69
Detail view of a section of timber drain (S5) . . . . . 69
Plan of brick cellars (B14B15), chalk footing (B16)
and reused cask (S6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Details of an oak cask reused for storage adjacent
to Building 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
The site as depicted in extracts from the Horwood
map of 1813 and the Ordnance Survey map of 1873 . 74
Plan of buildings fronting on to Angel Lane and
Dyers Hall Wharf (B17B19) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Plan of wells/soakaways (S7, S11), cesspit (S8) and
possible timber structure (S10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Overview of the waterfronts found at Seal House,
Swan Lane and Riverbank House . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Examples of London region treewrights work:

Fig 73

Fig 74
Fig 75
Fig 76
Fig 77
Fig 78
Fig 79
Fig 80
Fig 81
Fig 82

Fig 83
Fig 84
Fig 85
Fig 86
Fig 87
Fig 88
Fig 89
Fig 90
Fig 91

timbers [5062] and [5059] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Reconstructed front and side elevations of 14thcentury London timber waterfronts at Riverbank
House, Watermark Place and Trig Lane . . . . . . . . 82
Medieval pottery <P3><P9> from period 4
contexts dated c 11701220 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Medieval pottery <P10> from a period 4 context
dated c 124070 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Medieval pottery <P11><P16> from period 4
contexts dated c 12701350 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Medieval pottery <P17><P23> from period 4
contexts dated c 13501400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Medieval pottery <P24><P25> from period 4
contexts dated c 14001500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Medieval pottery <P26><P30> dated c 1350c 1500
from period 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Pottery <P31><P38> dated to the 16th/17th
centuries from period 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Lead-alloy openwork panel depicting the life and
death of Thomas of Lancaster <S69> . . . . . . . . . 95
Iron tools <S11> and <S13>, copper-alloy hooked
tool <S17> and spoon <S25>, and iron and bone
razor <S19> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Copper-alloy buckles <S39><S41>, strapend <S49>
and mount <S50> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Detail of a 14th-century leather scabbard <L5>,
showing stamped decoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Medieval floor tiles <T1><T6>, perforated tile
<T7> and 17th-century wall tile <T8> . . . . . . . 107
Roman accessioned finds <S1><S6> . . . . . . . . 110
Copper-alloy needle case <S29> and netting needle
<S30>, and bone weaving tablets <S31><S32> . . . 114
Antler nut from a crossbow <S56> . . . . . . . . . . 116
Copper-alloy lid from a container for nested
weights <S60> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Copper-alloy plaque <S68>, probably depicting
the eagle symbol of St John the Evangelist . . . . . 119
Lead-alloy mirror case <S71> and a possible iron
bell clapper <S72> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

xi

TABLES

Table 1 Details of nearby sites referred to in this

report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 2 Breakdown of pottery fabric types from period 4
contexts dated c 11701220 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 3 Breakdown of pottery fabric types from period 4
contexts dated c 124070 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 4 Breakdown of pottery fabric types from period 4
contexts dated c 12701350 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 5 Breakdown of pottery fabric types from period 4
contexts dated c 13501400 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 6 Breakdown of pottery fabric types from period 4
contexts dated c 14001500 . . . . . . . . . . . .

xii

84

85

86

88

90

Table 7 Breakdown of pottery fabric types from period 5

contexts dated c 15501700 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 8 Copper-alloy, lead-alloy and iron mounts from
the site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 9 Numbers of identifiable medieval small finds
by period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 10 Details of the illustrated tile <T1><T8> . . . . .
Table 11 Details of the decorated Penn floor tiles from
Open Area 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 12 Details of the illustrated Roman pottery
<P1><P2> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 13 Details of the illustrated medieval and postmedieval pottery <P3><P38> . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 14 Charred and uncharred plant remains from
Riverbank House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 15 Faunal species distribution (hand-collected and
wet-sieved assemblage) by fragment count and
period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 16 Faunal group distribution in each period by
percentage fragment count . . . . . . . . . . . . .

93

98

99
107

107
108
109
121

125
125

SUMMARY

Fieldwork by MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) at

Riverbank House between 2006 and 2009 revealed Roman,
medieval and post-medieval waterfronts and buildings, adding
to the archaeological record for a site in the City of London
previously investigated in the early 1980s as Swan Lane. This
previous work uncovered a series of medieval timber waterfronts
which remain largely unpublished and a wealth of artefacts,
many of which appear in the Medieval finds from excavations in
London series. The work reported in this volume relates to a
series of 22 trenches, mostly around the perimeter of the 1980s
site and located to mitigate the impact of piling associated with
redevelopment. Although on a relatively small scale, these
investigations provide a northsouth transect showing the
progressive advance of the City waterfront from the Roman to
early post-medieval periods. The site lay just upstream of the
medieval London bridge.
The Roman sequence included a 2nd-century AD timber
waterfront and associated building. A significant section of the
late 3rd-century AD masonry riverside wall was found, recorded
and preserved. However, due to the limited investigation that
could be carried out it was not possible to advance the debate
about its construction date.
Parts of 22 medieval waterfronts ranging in date from the
early 12th to the 15th centuries were recorded. Throughout the
text the Riverbank House waterfronts are related as far as
possible to those found both at Swan Lane and the adjacent Seal
House site. In addition to waterfronts, a number of buildings
were recorded. Most were fragmentary but they included a

substantial Saxo-Norman stone building, and parts of various

stone and timber buildings which lay in the five documented
narrow medieval tenements which ran from Thames Street in
the north down to the riverfront. Later buildings included 17thcentury brick cellars on the Thames Street frontage, with
indications of their destruction in the Great Fire of 1666.
Evidence for Continental trade and contacts comes from the
pottery, with imports from the Low Countries and the Rhineland
being a significant proportion of the 15th-century pottery from
the site. This probably reflects the considerable opening up of
trade with these areas by the London Hansa merchants during
the 14th and 15th centuries. Interestingly, a desire on the part of
local merchants to impress the nearby Hansa is one possible
explanation for the unnecessarily robust 14th-century revetments
recorded here and on the adjacent Watermark Place site.
As with all waterfront sites, Riverbank House produced a
wide array of metal small finds comprising coins and jettons,
tools, dress accessories and religious and secular badges from
dumps associated with waterfronts. Perhaps the most spectacular
is the large devotional panel of (Saint) Thomas, Earl of Lancaster
(12771322), a rare cult object from the 14th century. A rare
Continental badge in Britain depicts Our Lady of Le Puy-enVelay, France, and another unusual item is a lead-alloy crucifix
that may also be Continental in origin. These and other finds were
recovered from dumps or foreshore deposits, or from landfill
behind the waterfronts that came from the city, so can not be
firmly tied to activities taking place on the site, but may be
related to local crafts and industries. For example, some of the
faunal remains show butchery and the industrial working of
deer antler, goat horncores and cattle bones, along with hide
removal on a red deer. Five lead-alloy cloth seals, however, and
plant remains of cultivated flax, teasel (used in textile finishing)
and dyes such as madder, weld and greenweed confirm the
presence of a local textile industry, and can be tied to documentary
evidence for dyers and dyehouses occupying several of the
medieval tenements.

xiii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

MOLA is grateful to Pace Investments (City) Ltd, the City of

London Corporation and Helical Bar Plc for their support
throughout this project. In particular we would like to thank
Johnny Vincent of Pace Investments (City) Ltd for his interest
and encouragement in this project.
The archaeological work was made possible by the excellent
management and coordination of the site work provided by a
number of individuals and organisations. Particular thanks go to
Pavlos Clifton and Lee Stentiford of GVA Second London Wall,
Paul Singleton and the Keltbray team, Nigel Chard and Martin
Sheward of Sir Robert McAlpine, Narash Hirani of Arup and
Alex Cartwright of AC DEVCO Ltd, who was enormously
helpful in ensuring that the Roman riverside wall could be
preserved in situ for future generations. Kathryn Stubbs, Assistant
Director Historic Environment, Department of the Built
Environment, City of London, monitored the archaeological
work throughout, supported by Dominique de Moulins and

xiv

Jane Sidell of English Heritage whose advice and input at key

stages was invaluable. The trenches were prepared by miners
from Mulroney Ltd, with attendance support provided by the
demolition and groundwork contractors, Keltbray.
The author would like to acknowledge the following
MOLA field staff who worked on the project, including the
evaluation and watching brief phases: Maddie Bacon, Tanya
Bowie, Marge Feryok, Jonny Gardener, Robert Hartle, Isca
Howell, Sam Keenan, Anthony Morrin, Autumn Palmer, Nikki
Ramahtova, Gabby Rapson, Simon Stevens, Paul Thrale and
Steve White. Additional support was provided by Mark Burch
and Neville Constantine (geomatics), and the geoarchaeology
specialists Jane Corcoran, Craig Halsey and Will Mills, who
were involved in the project at various times. Robin WroeBrown conducted the initial land-use analysis upon which the
narrative sections of this publication are based.
Jackie Keily would like to thank Erki Russow of the
Institute of History, University of Tallinn, for sharing his
knowledge of the Tallinn Bay merchants chest and its contents
and supplying the reference for it.
All involved in the project acknowledge a debt of gratitude
to Geoff Egan (19512010) who, through his work on the Swan
Lane site in the early 1980s and his expertise in small finds more
generally, contributed so much to our understanding of the
medieval and later London waterfronts.