Page:VCH London 1.djvu/145

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ROMANO-BRITISH LONDON with stamps of Accilinus, Aricius, and Severinus, and an olla with lattice patterns. In the Guildhall : a hairpin, an iron lamp [Cat. 9], a glass vessel, and pottery (Gaulish and Upchurch wares). Two fragments of tessellated pavements found in 1893 are now in the Guildhall Cat. p. 72, nos. 8, 9]. In the Bethnal Green Museum, two large amphorae. In the Mayhew Collection was a limestone cist found on the site of Winchester House Cat. 28]. A cinerary urn containing calcined bones found in a leaden cist in 1872 Journ. Brit. Arch. Assoc, xxviii, 171 ; Guildhall Mus. Cat. p. 93, No. 326]. Broker Row. — See Blomfield Street. Brooks' Wharf. — Various objects in Guildhall Museum : bronze rings and keys, arrowhead, clay lamp, glass [Arch. Rev. i, 274 ; also mentions armlets and fish-hooks]. BucKLERsBURY. — A fine pavement found in the line of the present Queen Victoria Street (Plan C, 125) in May 1869, now in the Guildhall. It was 19 ft. below street level, and forms a parallelogram, 13 X I2| ft., with a semicircular addition 7 A ft. long at the north end ; the foundations of the inclosing walls were of tile with blocks of chalk and ragstone. Fragments of stucco painted red and blue were also found, and round the semicircular part were vertical flues ; below was a hypocaust with rows of flanged tiles supporting the concrete. At the north-east corner was a drain formed of semicircular tiles. This pavement (Fig. 40), considered to be the most perfect, and by some the finest, found in London, has a border of guilloche inclosing interlacing squares, one in colours, the other in white and black, with floral ornaments in the centre. Above is a floral scroll, and round the semicircle a guilloche inclosing a scale-pattern formed in parti-coloured rays. Round the whole are plain borders of red, white, and yellow tesserae. It is probably of fairly early date, about the time of Hadrian. At the south-east end was a small portico 5 ft. 5 J in. X 4 ft., paved with red tesserae and surrounded by a timber frame, to the right of which ran a passage floored with concrete ; part of a wooden paling adjoining seems to suggest a veranda facing the Walbrook. At a distance of 90 ft. (direction not stated) two walls of tiles and chalk were cut through, beneath which were wooden piles ; between the walls, a pavement of tiles, with flue-tiles below (Plan C, 123). Apparently this was a passage- way. To the west were part of a plain pavement and remains of a wall with painted stucco (Plan C, 126). Price also mentions a well or cesspool, thought to be a Roman latrine (Plan C, 124). Other finds at the time included Roman pottery, some of which is in the Guildhall Museum ; bronze statuettes of Mars and a Lar ; a mortarium, a bone draughtsman (r), bronze tweezers, a horseshoe, a knife, keys, fibulae, and small coins of Constantine [J. E. Price, Descr. of Rom. Tessel. Pavement in Bucklersbury, 1870 (illustrated) ; Guildhall Mus. Cat. p. 72, pi. 55 j Proc. Soc. Antiq. (Ser. 2), v, 1 1 ; Arch. Joiirn. Ix, 171 ; Morgan, Rom. Brit. Mosaic Pavements, 195 ; Arch. Rev. i, 275 ; see also p. 76, fig. 26]. In 1854 were found a bronze armlet, spoon, and ligula or spatula [Arch, yourn. xi, 186, 283 ; Proc. Soc. Antiq. (Ser. i), iii, 90]. In 1874, 1879, and 1 891, Gaulish pottery (with stamps of vita(lis) and cara ; some figured vases), also in 1874 an iron lampstand, glass bottles, bronze pins, and coins of Claudius and Domitian [yourn. Brit. Arch. Asso:. xxx, 338 ; XXXV, 216, 220 ; xlvii, 96]. In the Guildhall, bone pins [Cat. 226-75] and miscellaneous objects. A 'cinerary urn' in the Mayhew Collection [Cat. No. 14 ; see above, p. 6]. Budge Row (Plan C, 155). — Mr. Gunston stated that in Jan. 1853 he descended into an excavation made for a new sewer, and 'at the depth of 16 ft. distinctly traced the remains of a Roman wall constructed of rubble, layers of tile, and concrete ' [yourn. Brit. Arch. Assoc, ix, 84 ; see under Cannon Street]. In 1859 the same gentleman exhibited 71. fibula found in 1852 'of singular and simple form' [Ibid, xv, 272; cf. v, 231]. Three fragments of orna- mented pottery in British Museum, one of Lczoux, two of German fabric (one with stamp of Comitialis). A fragment of a cornice found in 1855 bore the inscription MATF VICINIA • DESVO • res Mat[ribus . . . ] viclnia de suo {sumptu) res[tituit^ Probably a dedication to the Deae Matres (see p. 104) [Proc. Soc. Antiq. iv (1856), p. 113 ; Illus. Rom. Lond. 33; Arch. Aeliana, xv, p. 328, No. 2; Gent. Mag. (185 7), 69; Corp. Inscr. Latin, vii, 20 ; Guildhall Mus. Cat. p. 106, No. 2]. Bush Lane. — After the great fire some labourers, digging foundations of houses in Scots Yard (Plan C, 147), found at 20 ft. deep 'a Tessellated Pavement, with the Remains of a large Build- ing or Hall' supposed at the time to indicate respectively the Roman governor's palace and the Basilica ! Four holes full of charred wood were supposed to have been for piles, and as the substructure of the pavement was composed of artificial earth containing bricks and broken glass it was thought that the building was destroyed by Boudicca [Wren, Parentalia, 265 ; ' ' To the Mother Goddesses . . . restored by the neighbourhood at its own expense.' 93