In constructing the last section of the Metropolitan (or ‘Underground’) Railway—that expensive three-quarters of a mile, which it is said will cost three millions—many curious discoveries have been made, and many interesting relics brought to light. The section commences at the present Mansion House Station, in Cannon Street, and proceeds nearly east, at a considerable depth, terminating at the present Tower Hill Station, and thus completing what is commonly called the ‘Inner Circle.’ In its course, the railway tunnel traverses one of the most ancient sites of the original British-Roman London; and the discoveries alluded to chiefly refer to that period. The most important of these has been a very perfectly built landing-stage or pier, not on the banks of the Thames, but on the left bank of Wall Brook, near its confluence with the Thames, the site being beneath the present Dowgate Hill, which leads direct to the river. The stage appears to have been erected with much care and skill, and is a very superior work. First, the spot is filled in with oak timber-piling, carefully bound together; on this is laid a concrete bed, which, in its turn, supports a Roman tesselated pavement.
The Wall Brook at that period was doubtless a stream of some importance, having perhaps a mouth sufficiently broad to make a sort of useful harbour, just off the Thames; hence the necessity of a landing-pier or stage being constructed here for commercial purposes. Nor is this the only one of the kind which the railway-works have brought to light, for a second has been found beneath Trinity Square Gardens, which are situated on the spot known as ‘Tower Hill,’ so celebrated in history as the place of public execution. This second landing-stage also appears to have stood on a bank leading to the river, forming, like the other, a small harbour for the unloading of craft or landing of passengers. This stage is built in the same way—timber-piles supporting a concrete bed, and on this again the usual Roman tile pavement. But it was observed that the oak-piling was surrounded by a number of oak-tree roots, leading to the supposition that the ground had to be cleared of its original forest before the building operations of the landing-stage were begun. This is confirmed by the fact that the spot where these discoveries were made must have been outside the eastern boundary of the original city of London; because a fortress—or work of some kind—was erected by the Romans for the protection of the city on that side, on the site of Gundulph’s still existing ‘Tower,’ and of course outside the town, and surrounded probably at that period by the ‘forest primeval.’
The underground track of this part of the railway has proved a storehouse for relics of both Roman and medieval times. A great deal of pottery has been found, as well as articles of glassware, and even cannon-balls. Two leaden coffins were brought to light of decided Roman pattern; also Roman coins. Amongst the many Roman tiles which were unearthed, one of them bears the distinct mark of a dog’s foot, which can only be explained by the animal having walked over the tile whilst it was still soft after its manufacture. Two entire skeletons were also discovered, each head downwards—one in Trinity Square, and one at the bottom of a well twenty-five feet below the ground, in Aldgate. The remains of the windlass which had once been at the top were also discovered, together with some pieces of broken pottery. A second well was also found near the first; but their age has not been determined.
Below the station at Tower Hill, some timber-piles were uncovered, which have been stated to be the remains of the scaffold on which Lords Kilmarnock, Balmerino, and Lovat suffered in the last century. But this seems unlikely, as no doubt the scaffold was removed after the last execution. But even if it was not, one hundred and forty years would hardly be sufficient to bury, many feet below the surface, so large an article as a timber scaffold. A rare and curious print, giving a view of Tower Hill on the occasion of the death of Lord Lovat, shows the scaffold about the middle of the Hill, and consequently to the south-west of the present station.
Since the above was written, we learn that ‘more unexpected but important evidence’ has been brought to light of the buildings of ancient London, by the destruction of the remains of old London Wall. It had already been noticed that the foundations of the Roman wall by the river were made up very much of materials which had been already used in public buildings, and near to Tower Hill it has been discovered that some fine sepulchral monuments have been made to serve the same purpose. During the further destruction of the wall, it has been found to have been partly constructed with stones belonging to older buildings to a very great extent, some of the bastions being composed of them. In the wall in Castle Street, Bevis Marks, sculptured stones on which are inscriptions are being discovered, and carefully collected by some zealous antiquaries, for deposit in the Guildhall Museum.
THE ‘STRONG-ROOM’ AT PETERBOROUGH.
We have already referred (see Journal, [page 464]) to the singular revelation of a regular system of medieval ‘jerry-building’ found to have existed in Peterborough Cathedral; and we have now to record another interesting discovery, by which the old ‘strong-room’ of the church has been brought to light. In excavating for the foundations of the piers of the new central tower, some ancient masonry was found deep below the surface, which was at once pronounced to be the remains of the original Saxon church, which, together with the monastery, had been destroyed by the marauding Danes. These remains indicated that the former church occupied nearly the position of the present one; and whilst these antiquarian researches were going on, speculation was rife as to a certain crypt or chamber supposed to exist close under the floor of the present church, as indicated by Gunton, who wrote the History of the cathedral not very long after its narrow escape from the hands of Cromwell’s soldiers.
Accordingly, a careful search was made by Dean Perowne and the clerk of the works, to the north of the great central tower, and bordering on the south end of the north transept; when the accuracy of their calculations was proved, and their labours rewarded by the discovery, immediately under the pavement, of an underground chamber measuring six feet three inches in length, by four feet wide, and six feet high. A curved flight of steps rises from one side of the chamber, whilst a straight flight leads off at one end, and both ascend directly to the floor of the church above. The vault was found to be filled with all sorts of apparent rubbish in stone and metal. On close inspection, however, much of this proved to be parts of the choir-screen, which, from its great beauty, had been the glory of the church and the admiration of historians for centuries, but which, at the sacking of the church by Cromwell’s soldiers in 1643, had been pulled to the ground with ropes, and then smashed to pieces. The rest of the contents consisted of pieces of stone, forming parts of what had once been, apparently, a reredos; bits of stained glass, which lost their colour on exposure to the air; fragments of broken swords and pikes; pieces of leathern scabbards; bits of charred wood; and a quantity of bones of animals, probably sheep, which had been used for food.
On the chamber being cleared and closely examined, competent authorities pronounced the floor to be much older work than the rest of the vault, and it is not impossible that this might have been part of the floor of the original Saxon church. It was composed of large flags, several of which had been violently disturbed, possibly by Cromwell’s looters, in their search for spoil, and in the thought of finding another hidden chamber still lower down. Whether or not they found any valuables does not appear to be known; but the supposition is that they did not, or it would have been referred to by contemporary historians.
Opinions seem divided as to the use of this vault. The more general opinion appears to be that it was nothing more or less than the ‘strong-room’ of the monastery. In medieval times, secrecy was often more trusted in than locks and bars; for the latter, force and patience might ultimately overcome; but a hidden secret would be a secret still; and in the present instance, as there was not the smallest outward indication of the existence of such a chamber, so long as the secret was kept inviolate, the chamber and its contents were safe. All the facts in connection with this interesting discovery being taken into careful consideration, the conclusion may be safely arrived at, that this chamber or vault was indeed the ‘strong-room’ or ‘safe,’ contrived and cleverly concealed centuries ago, beneath the floor of the great cathedral, for the purpose of containing the money and treasures belonging to the community of the monastery of Peterborough, and now so unexpectedly laid open to the eager gaze of admiring antiquaries and architects of this present year of grace 1884. Perhaps discoveries of still deeper interest are in store for us from amongst the foundations of this grand medieval fane.