Two adjacent excavations in the City of London revealed new information
about Roman and later development of an area which lay within the west
part of the Roman town, directly north of the main east-west road
(beneath modern Cheapside). The earliest Roman buildings may pre-date
the Boudican fire of AD 60/61, although most date to the Flavian period,
and were ranged along the street to the south. In the north of the study
area, stone foundations may represent larger domestic properties located
near the amphitheater. A subsidiary road built here consolidated the
local infrastructure and a large town house north of this road may have
links to the fort to the north-west. A major fire, possibly the
Hadrianic fire of AD 120-5, destroyed many buildings and the road fell
into decline. There is no evidence of Roman habitation beyond the mid
2nd century AD.
Reoccupation in the 10th century AD is indicated by pitting, while the
stone foundations of timber buildings reflect the city's development
during the mid 11th to mid 12th century. The economic growth of London
in the later medieval period is represented by the cellars of two
wealthy merchants' houses. Post-medieval archaeological remains were
fragmentary, but documentary research revealed a possible link to one
inhabitant, an apothecary called John Scarborough.