Fully preserved Roman road discovered under London street - it ran all the way to Dover

Archaeologists have discovered a "remarkable" Roman road under Old Kent Road in South east London. It is a section of one of Britain's most important Roman roads - a 2,000-year-old thoroughfare known as Roman Watling Street which ran from the Roman port at Dover (Dubris) through London (Londinium) to the West Midlands, connecting Britain with the wider Roman world.

Today, we use the same route that was once walked or ridden over by visiting emperors like Hadrian in 122CE when he ordered his famous wall to be built on the northern border to fight off the Picts. 1,000 years later it was also made famous after its use by pilgrims Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

The road was found while work was being done to expand Southwark’s low-carbon heat network by Southwark Council and Veolia. Roman roads are characteristically very straight, so archaeologists can get a good idea of where they ought to be, but this is the first physical proof that sections of the 2,000-year-old route survived directly beneath its modern counterpart, Old Kent Road.

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The road was identified by archaeologists from MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), working on behalf of Veolia and archaeological consultant RPS, with advice and support from the council’s in-house archaeology officer, Dr Chris Constable.

Dave Taylor, MOLA project manager, said: “It’s amazing this section of road has survived for almost 2000 years. There has been so much activity here over the past few hundred years, from sewers to power cables, tramlines and of course the building of the modern road, so we’re really excited to find such a substantial chunk of Roman material remaining.”

The section of Roman road uncovered was well preserved and measures 5.8 metres wide by 1.4 metres high. Distinct layers can be seen, which tell the story of the road’s construction. It has a solid foundation of compacted gravel sealed by two layers of chalk.

This was topped with another layer of compacted sand and gravel. The original surface of the road would likely have been made from the same material and sat at a similar level to the modern road, however this has been lost. The base of the modern road rests directly on the Roman fabric.

Gillian King, director of archaeology at RPS Consulting Ltd, said: “The discovery of an intact section of Roman Wating Street directly under the current Old Kent Road has redrawn the Roman road map for Southwark and informs on Roman construction techniques generally. It is a key finding for archaeological research for London.”

Old Kent Road has a vibrant past dating from prehistory to the modern day. Among the most influential literary characters to walk Watling Street were the aforementioned pilgrims of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in the Middle Ages, followed by many notable others, for example: James Bond who drove along it in ‘Moonraker’ and Doctor Who was often depicted here in various regenerations.

Dr Chris Constable said: “I’m pleased this project has answered our questions over the course of the Roman road south of the Cantium Retail Park where a section was excavated in the early 1990s, south of the line of the modern road. In the planning for this project, we’d expected to solve this question but the extent of survival of the road is remarkable. We hope this project will answer some other archaeological questions in the borough.”

The recent discovery was made during early works to bring low carbon heating to 3,000 more council homes along Old Kent Road by Southwark Council and Veolia, with hopes to reduce the borough’s carbon footprint by a further 11,100 tonnes of carbon each year.

Historic discovery to be marked with a new sign

John Abraham, Chief Operating Officer - Industrial, Water & Energy for UK, Ireland and Nordics at Veolia, said: "This new discovery, unearthed during our infrastructure project, gives us a fascinating insight into Roman construction. Whereas the Romans built aqueducts to transport water to cities, Veolia and Southwark Council are utilising a district heating network to provide low carbon heat to homes in the borough. We are delighted to have played a part in this find which is an incredible example of where old meets modern technology!"

The discovery will be marked by a sign on the nearby Old Kent Road bridge, which has undergone its own transformation from old to new with a colourful makeover celebrating the area’s diversity; a bespoke mural titled ‘A Home from Home’ made in collaboration with the local community.

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