ROMANO-BRITISH LONDON The Commissioners of Woods and Forests have recently, under the advice of the Society of Antiquaries, had the wall renovated and protected by a covering at the top. This fragment belongs to the stretch of wall engraved in Wilkinson's Londina Illustrata, 1818, from a view taken after the ground had been cleared by a fire, and again by J. W. Archer," who states that the wall was here upwards of 25 ft. high ; the Roman masonry was seen to a height of about 8 ft., its squared facing stones with two rows of bonding tiles showing clearly at the base, and mingling above with the irregular work of later times. In 1852 some excavations on the eastern or outer side disclosed what has variously been called ' a quarry of 125 stones' and 'a mediaeval buttress' resting against the wall, which on being removed revealed the facing of the Roman wall in a remarkably good condition'^ (Plan C, 5). A drawing of it, made by Fairholt and engraved in Roach Smith's Illustrations of Roman London, shows that three bonding courses with the intervening courses of stone and the chamfered plinth remained, most of which was below the street level. Although the depth is not stated, it must have been about 12 or 14 ft. The perfect condition of the Roman work here was undoubt- edly due to one of the bastions having been placed against it. Roach Smith calls this mediaeval, but that it was ' in measure composed of stones which had be- longed to Roman build- ings of importance, and to sepulchral monu- ments' (Fig. 14). Pink mortar is stated to have been found on the face buttress admits a great 14. -Architectural Fragments from the Bastion, Tower Hill of of of the wall, but it seems probable that this was applied by the builder the bastion. When the Inner Circle Railway was formed in 1882, this stretch wall was cut through ; a portion, 73 ft. in length, was destroyed, and the remains of the bastion were removed (Plan C, 6). Adjoining it were discovered the foundations of several Roman buildings, a large tessellated pavement, and quantities of Samian and other Roman pottery." Beyond the railway a con- siderable piece of wall still stands behind the houses of the Crescent and in the bonded vaults of Messrs. Barber & Co., forming the dividing wall of their buildings to a height of about 30 ft. (Plan C, 7) In the basement portions of Roman work with bonding tiles are seen, and no doubt its base lies below the level of the basement floor, while on the upper floors the additions of later ages are found, with some Norman windows, and at the top floor the ledge of the battlements. The present structures inclosing this remarkable fragment were " Vestiges of Rom. Lond. 1 851. '* Journ. Brij. Arch. Assoc, xxxviii, 447-8 " lllus. Rom. Lond. 15. 51
