The site of 1 Poultry, excavated in the 1990s, is located near the Bank
of England in the heart of the City of London. It lay immediately west
of the point where the main east-west road through Roman London bridged
the Walbrook stream and proved to be one of the most significant
archaeological sites ever excavated in the City, with an unparalleled
sequence of buildings, roads and open spaces. A timber drain of AD 47
beneath the main road is the earliest, securely dated structure yet
known from Londinium and a pottery shop destroyed in the Boudican revolt
gives a snapshot of life in AD 60/61. A 2nd-century AD writing tablet
preserves the only evidence for the sale of a slave found in Britain to
date, while the 3rd- and 4th-century buildings on the site provide a
rare demonstration of the continuities and changes that occurred in
Roman urban life. The key sequence from 1 Poultry provides the majority
of the evidence but is augmented by findings from Docklands Light
Railway sites at Bucklersbury, Lothbury and Lombard Street and other
work at 72-75 Cheapside, 76-80 Cheapside, 36-37 King Street and Mansion
House. Together, the sites provide a comprehensive record of the
development of Londinium over the entire Roman period.