Page:VCH London 1.djvu/156

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A HISTORY OF LONDON Fetter Lane. — Pottery found in 1903 _Antiq. xxxix, 227]. Finch Lane (Plan C, 61, 62 ). — Fragments of Roman pottery and Roman bricks, and wood ashes, found in digging a sewer, October, 1792 [Soc. Antiq. MS. Min. xxv, 473, 504]. Part of a tessellated pavement found 1844-5 between this lane and the Royal Exchange, representing a female head, in red, white, black, and green tesserae. Fragments of other pavements and indications of buildings also noted [Journ. Brit. Arch, i, 64]. Another pavement with guilloche pattern recorded m 1847 on same site, with a sculptured head and other remains. Roach Smith notes that the remains of walls here cut across the neighbouring modern streets (Plan C, 63) [ibid, ii, 205]. See also Birchin Lane. FiNSEURY Circus. — See London Wall, Moorfields. Fish Street Hill, London Bridge (Plan C, 30). — Coin of Vespasian, inscribed s.p.q.r. and ob GIVES servatos, found in making approaches to the new London Bridge, 1834 [Gent. Mag. (1834), ii, 89]. At the foot of the old bridge h^e been found a fragment of pottery with figure of eagle and a bronze balance beam [yourn. Brit. Arch. Assoc, xliv, 357]. Fish Street and Fish Street Hill (Old), Knightrider Street (Plan C, 188). — In December, 1845, walls were found at a depth of 16 ft., one containing an arch turned with tiles 17 in. by 8 in. projecting one above another ; the walls were built on large hewn stones laid on wooden piles, and one was 3 ft. to 4 ft. thick ; the arch measured 3 ft. by 3 ft. 6 in. By the side of the wall were tiers of tiles, 2 ft. by I ft. 6 in., on massive hewn stones [yourn. Brit. Arch. Assoc, i, 45, with illustration; Arch. Journ. ii, 72]. Pottery in British Museum (stamps of the Lezoux potters Decimus and Paternus). Fleet Ditch. — See Farringdon Street. Fleet Lane (with Seacoal Lane). — Sarcophagus in Guildhall {Cat. 8), found 1873 near Seacoal Lane (under the L.C. and D. Ry. Sta.) It is of oolite (.? ragstone), 7 ft. 9 in. by 4 ft. 2^ in. by 3 ft., hewn from a solid block, and contained a skeleton. It resembled those found at St. Bartholo- mew's Hospital («^ p. 121). Adjoining it were traces of another interment, with fragments of pottery [Price, Rom. Antiq. Nat. Safe Dep. 52 ; Arch, yourn. xxxiv, 197 ; see above, p. 16]. In Mr. F. W. Reader's possession is a bowl of Gaulish pottery (form 29) from this site, nearly complete. Foster Lane. — Pottery in British Museum (Roach Smith and Price), chiefly Rutenian, but one piece with stamp of Lezoux potter Verecundus ; two pieces in Bethnal Green Museum. For sculptured altar found here, see Goldsmiths' Hall. Founder's Court, Lothbury. — See Lothbury. Friday Street. — A large piece of coarse tessellated pavement found in 1844, 16 ft. to 18 ft. below street level, and some ' Roman wells or cesspools,' on site of old Saracen's Head Inn (Plan C, 183) [Land, and Midd. Arch. Soc. Trans, iii, 339]. When the church of St. Matthew (Plan C, 182) was pulled down in 1886, part of the same or another pavement was discovered [Journ. Brit. Arch. Assoc, xlii, 435 ; Reliq. (New Sen), i, 108]. Pottery in British Museum (Gaulish ware, including fragment with stamp of Carbo, a German fragment with figures, and fragments of painted and ' cut-glass ' incised red ware) ; also in Bethnal Green Museum. A wall crossing this street and Knightrider Street diagonally (Plan C, 190) was found in 1906 [Proc. Soc. Antiq. xxi, 229 ; Arch. Ix, 219 ; cf. Arch, xl, 49, and see under Great Knightrider Street ; also p. 76 above]. Golden Lane. — Vase of plain ware in Guildhall [Cat. 62]. Goldsmith Street, Wood Street. — Bronze scale-beam in Guildhall Museum [Arch, Rev. i, 277]. Goldsmiths' Hall, Foster Lane (Plan C, 178). — In December, 1830, a small Roman altar (Fig. 44) was found, built into the foundations of the old hall, about 15 ft. below the surface level. It was about 2^ ft. high, and on the front was relief of Diana in hunting costume, with bow in left hand and right hand raised over her right shoulder, to draw an arrow from the quiver at her back. She wears a Phrygian cap and buskins with pointed toes. At her side a grey- hound is seated, looking up at her ; at her back is a harp (?) carved in outline, and on either side of FOII the altar are trees or laurel-branches. At the back of the altar is the inscription iF.A.AX ; the AVAI reading is somewhat uncertain, and the meaning not clear ; lelow are carved a tripod, a wedge (.'), and a pitcher. One writer speaks of ' strongly cemented masses of stonework ' on the site where this altar was found, more like natural rock than masonry, and so hard that it had to be blasted with gunpowder ; but, nevertheless, the discovery of the altar is assumed to be suflScient evidence for the existence of a temple of Diana here (unless it may be referred to the neighbouring site of St. Paul's Churchyard ; see p. 125). The altar was preserved in the Goldsmiths' Hall [Gent. Mag. (1831), i, 390, 452; Hartridge, Coll. Neicsp. Cuttings^ Old 102