Walking Guide to Roman London, London, England

London is nearly 2,000 years old, founded by the Romans on the North Bank of the Thames. It grew to become the capital of Roman Britain, and its name even comes from this era: Londinium.

But compared to similarly old cities, very little remains. Rome has, of course, the Colosseum, the Forum and much more besides. In Nimes, the Roman arena still hosts events. In Zaragoza, you can visit a huge remaining chunk of a Roman theatre.

London was one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire, but if you want to see its remnants, you really have to work for it. Exploring Roman London will take you into underground car parks, below art galleries, and into church crypts.

It’s all the more rewarding for this. And though they’re often fragmented and require a lot of imagination, there’s plenty of Roman London to discover.

And in recent years, more of it has become accessible to the public than ever before, most of it for free.

This guide covers every Roman site I know of in London. It’s split into four parts: Roman sites in the City of London, a self-guided walking route, sites beyond the City walls, and museums with Roman collections.

London’s story starts after the Roman invasion of Britain sometime in the 1st century, as a settlement on the north bank of the Thames, roughly where the City of London is today. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).