Founded soon after Claudius’ conquest of AD 43, Roman London – Londinium to its inhabitants –quickly flourished into a commercial powerhouse: a Thames-side trade centre so resilient that (a writing tablet of AD 62 attests; see CA 317) it was up and running again just a year or two after the devastation of the Boudican revolt. Having risen from the ashes, the settlement continued to thrive, and in around AD 195-225 its status was literally set in stone, thanks to the construction of towering walls that not only enhanced its defences but also made a triumphant and highly visible statement of civic pride.
Running for around 2.5 miles and enclosing an area of some 330 acres, the walls were punctuated by four city gates (today known as Ludgate, Newgate, Bishopsgate, and Aldgate), together with another entrance linked to the fortress at Cripplegate that had stood in the area since AD 125-150. They originally embraced Londinium on three sides only, with the waters of the Thames completing the circuit, but in the 3rd century an additional riverside wall filled the gap. This was a drastic step, speaking of a need to enhance the town’s defences that was so urgent that it overcame commercial concerns – the new construction effectively severed the settlement’s all-important access to the river, and to the wharves and dockyards that had played such a key role in its mercantile success.
Come the 4th century and the threat of Saxon raids prompted further enhancement: mighty bastions rose up against the outer edge of the landward wall. These constructions – and the effort and resources that would have gone into creating them – speak of the importance of maintaining London’s fortifications, and the walls continued to be a defining feature of the medieval period, being repeatedly repaired and rebuilt over the centuries. As the city expanded, however, the old defences were gradually overwhelmed by the evolving urban environment.
Janus: two-faced god of beginnings