thames discovery programme

Vauxhall FLM01
The zone is approximately 640m long and up to 80m wide at its greatest extent;
it is bounded by Camelford House and the borough boundary with
Wandsworth. There is a single access point, via the boat slipway, downstream
of Vauxhall Bridge. The ground conditions on the site are generally firm
(gravels), however there is a large area of scoured foreshore immediately in
front of the MI6 building. Due to the high security presence in the area, it is
very important to inform the relevant authorities prior to visiting the site.

archaeological and historical background

prehistoric
Of note with regard to the topography of the area is the presence of the River Effra, a major
tributary, comparable in size to the Fleet. The stream rises in Norwood, runs through Dulwich and
Brixton, past the Oval, and enters the Thames just upstream of Vauxhall Bridge. Cartographic
research suggests that, until the late 19 th century the Effra flowed into the Thames further
upstream than it does today, and that originally the tributary (also known as Vauxhall Creek) ran
in two separate streams from Oval to meet the Thames. The topography of the area may give
further clues as to the nature of any activity during the prehistoric period. The location of the site
near the mouth of the Effra may mean that the area was prone to flooding and therefore
unsuitable for permanent settlement. The construction of a bridge, as mentioned below, may
therefore represent a form of ritual activity near the river (for example, a platform for disposal of
items, or access to a now vanished island), rather than a crossing point of the main channel.

This zone is one of the most archaeologically significant stretches of foreshore along the Thames.
In addition to a range of post-medieval features it is the location of a number of prehistoric
structures: upstream of Vauxhall Bridge is a Middle Bronze Age structure, interpreted as the
remains of a bridge, elevated trackway or jetty-type structure. This structure consists of 22
roundwood oak timbers set in two irregular lines, standing approximately 4m apart. Even at the
lowest tides the tops of the furthest timbers are rarely exposed and the structure probably
continues further out into the river. Also nearby was an Iron Age fish trap, (two staggered lines of
13 small stakes of oak/alder) and peat and tree exposures, representing the remains of a land
surface. Artefacts eroding from these deposits include animal bone, lithics and sherds of Middle
Bronze Age Deverel-Rimbury type pottery. Recent survey has recorded further evidence for
prehistoric activity, downstream of the bridge: sherds of early Neolithic pottery and a possible
structure of six timbers, samples of which have been radiocarbon dated to the Mesolithic period.

roman
The area immediately around Vauxhall is not well-known. There are no examples of excavated
Roman structures in the immediate area, and artefactual evidence is limited to a single sherd of
(possible) Roman glass. The Roman routeway in the area, Stane Street (the London to
Chichester road) runs to the south of the site, along the line now traced by Clapham Road.

early medieval
Limited evidence for activity has been found further to the north on the Albert Embankment,
where ditches dating from the 10th century onwards have been excavated. Artefacts are also
rare; a single 9th century spearhead has been noted from Vauxhall. The dyke known as the
Battersea ditch originally marked the boundary between the parishes of Lambeth and Battersea;
the modern day borough boundary between Wandsworth and Lambeth follows its course. This
feature is believed to be Saxon in origin and was originally known as the Hesewall (or
Hetheswall) and later as the Heath Brook sewer. An early Saxon fish trap has recently been
recorded on the foreshore at Nine Elms, upstream of the site.
later medieval
The manor of Vauxhall was a sub-manor of South Lambeth and is not mentioned in Domesday;
the name is derived from Fawkes Hall, the seat of Falkes di Breauté, who held the manor of
South Lambeth in the early 13th century. As mentioned above the area lies at the border of the
parishes of Lambeth and Battersea, and it is probable that the many watercourses in the vicinity
(i.e. the mouths of the Effra and the Hesewall), prevented any settlement activity, instead being
used as a water meadow or for growing osiers. By the medieval period, the road infrastructure
was extending from the more suburban areas to the east of the site with the development of
Wandsworth Road (known by 1340) and South Lambeth Road. A bridge over the Effra on the
latter route (called Coklesbrugge, or Cox’s Bridge) is also known from 1340. The Thames was
also used as a transport route; a timber wharf (its precise location is unknown) was constructed in
Vauxhall in 1476-7 for loading building stone to be used in works at Westminster Abbey.

post medieval
Further west, at locations such as Chelsea and Putney, riverside settlements were popular as
rural retreats for wealthier members of society, and during the 17th century, a similar trend can be
noted in the Vauxhall area, with the construction of Carroone House for the Dutch ambassador
and the development of the Spring Gardens, a pleasure garden which had opened by 1661 and
remained in use until 1859. Utilization of the Thames continued with the construction of a
bargehouse in the mid 17th century for three City Livery Companies (the Fishmongers, the
Mercers and the Clothworkers). The site probably lay just outside the Civil War defensive ditch,
dug c1642 to 1646 and it was in 1645 that the hamlet of Nine Elms was so named, after a row of
trees bordering the road. Thomas Hill’s 1681 map of the Manor of Vauxhall depicts a largely
undeveloped agricultural district, with light industry in the area in the form of a glasshouse,
distillery and a timber yard. Vauxhall’s proximity to the urban hubs of London and Westminster
eventually led to the area developing a more industrial nature during the later 17th and early 18 th
centuries. There was another glasshouse, a brewery, a gunhouse, mills for processing marble
and corn, pothouses and a soapworks, with the waterfront dominated by manufacturing industry,
such as a vinegar factory and distillery and a timber yard.

With the exception of Belmont House (also known as Brunswick House), housing in the area
became increasingly suburban in nature, although market gardening and dairy farming remained
popular (and profitable) occupations. The construction of the cast-iron Vauxhall Bridge began in
1813 and it was opened in 1816. This development clearly made the suburb more accessible,
and rapidly accelerated the industrialisation of the area. By 1824 the Roman Cement and Plaster
of Paris Factory was established while the timber yard continued in use to the west, and historic
prints show Randall’s tide mill at the water’s edge, together with working wharves. The
construction and opening in May 1840 of the London to Southampton Railway – later the London
and South Western Railway Company, radically changed the area. In 1848 the line was extended
from Nine Elms to Waterloo Bridge in 1848; prior to the extension, steam ferryboats took
passengers to Westminster and the City. A goods depot was constructed, and a jetty, Railway or
Nine Elms Pier, was built out onto the foreshore. A dock is also shown on the 1862 map,
presumably continuing to exploit the inlet created by the Hesewall dyke. The cement factory
appears to remain in use through the 1860s, probably as part of the London and South Western
Railway Company (LSWR) site eventually becoming derelict during the early 1870’s. The site
remained in use by the railway throughout the 19th century. Some embankment seems to have
been undertaken at the centre of the site and the pier was removed (and appears to have been
rebuilt further west), and replaced by a wharf by 1894. Vauxhall Bridge was replaced with a new
structure by 1906.

In 1941, Nine Elms was damaged in an air raid and after World War II, the area became
somewhat neglected. By the mid 20th century, the Railway Dock entrance had been infilled, and
the original goods shed or depot demolished and the railway tracks were extended over its former
area. The railway station and yards were demolished in the 1960s and by 1976, Nine Elms Lane
had been re-routed further north across the area of the site to allow for construction of the New
Covent Garden Market building to the south.
A101 Agradation Sand and shingle
A102 Deposit Dump. Large concrete boulders scatter.
A103 Deposit Dump. Concrete boulders scatter, smaller lumps than A102.
A104 Consolidation Concrete, old.
A105 Agradation Mud.
A106 Deposit Dump. Concrete debris.
A107 Timber Vertical. Plank?
A108 Timber Timber. Vertical. Small.
A109 Structure (unclassified) Timber. Row of 3 verticals, parallel to shore. Associated with Gunhouse Stair?
A110 Furniture Cranebase?. Timber. 5 vertical planks surrounding base of concrete/gravel.
A111 Timber Timber. Vertical.
A112 Structure (unclassified) Timber. Large square timber vertical with unusual timbers going across the top at diagonals and middle.
A113 Timber Timber. Horizontal plank and chain.
A114 Timber Timber. Squared.
A115 Agradation Mud.
A116 Deposit Dump. Concrete, brick, large pebbles, pottery, litter, metal debris.
A117 Consolidation Clay. Orange clay
A118 Consolidation Concrete, pottery.
A119 Agradation Mud. Dip in foreshore.
A120 Agradation Erosion line.
A121 Agradation Gravel. Raised foreshore.
A122 Consolidation Brick.
A123 Consolidation Stone. Semi-consolidated boulders.
A124 Consolidation Concrete, old.
A125 Fenders Timber
A126 Agradation Gravel. Raised area.
A127 Agradation Significantly raised area.
A128 Vessel Barge. Lee board.
A129 Degradation Drop in foreshore. Softer, less pebbles.
A130 Timber Timber. Vertical, halved.
A131 Timber Timber. Vertical, small, rectangular.
A132 Structure (unclassified) Causeway? Crane base?
A133 Structure (unclassified) Causeway? Crane base?
A134 Structure (unclassified) Crane base? Dolphin? Timber. Two timber boxes close together.
A135 Timbers. Two, long, horizontal, paralell to shore.
A136 Structure (unclassified) Crane base? Dolphin? Timber
A137 Agradation Shingle.
A138 Structure Bridge? Jetty? Timber. Two rows. Bronze Age
A139 Structure Fishtrap? Two rows of timber stakes. Some evidence for wattles between.
A140 Degradation. Hollow/scar.
A141 Deposit. Peat/organic clay. Intermittent exposure.
A142 Timber. Stake. c.40mm square.
A143 Agradation Gravel.
A144 Structure (unclassified) Cranebase? Timber/concrete. Square, shuttered.
A145 Consolidation Chalk.
A146 Consolidation Chalk.
A147 Consolidation Chalk: two areas.
A148 Consolidation Chalk. area of brick, broken glass and chalk.
A149 Drain Apron. Concrete for outfall.
A150 Timber Driftwood? Timber. With metal foot, lying on foreshore.
A151 Timber Driftwood? Timber. With metal foot, lying on foreshore.
A152 Timber Driftwood? Timber. With metal foot, lying on foreshore.
A153 Deposit Dump. Area of rubble/concrete.
A154 Deposit Blue/green sandy clay with few inclusions. Occ. organic fragments.
A154 Deposit Sequence.of 8 deposits.
A155 Forest Tree stump. Other roots observed.
A156 Mooring feature Dolphin. Timber. Us of Bridge
A157 Mooring feature Dolphin. Timber. Ds of Bridge
A158 Dock Stone
A159 Drain Outfall. Timber. Us of Bridge
A160 Drain Outfall. Timber. Ds of Bridge
A301 Structure (unclassified) Group of six timbers; late Mesolithic
A302 Deposit Artefact scatter: early Neolithic ceramics