Surrey Archaeological Collections
Surrey Archaeological Society, 2003. (updated 2023) https://doi.org/10.5284/1000221. How to cite using this DOI
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- ADS Collection: 379
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1000221
- How to cite using this DOI
SURREY ARCHAEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS
The archaeology of 151-153 Bermondsey Street, Southwark
KEVIN WOOLDRIDGE
The article describes archaeological excavations at 151-153 Bermondsey Street, Southwark. The earliest recorded occupation, which was confined to the area of the site lying immediately adjacent to the street, was contemporary with the construction of Bermondsey Street possibly as a causeway. The land was reclaimed from marshland in the late 12th century. Documentary evidence indicates that the site lay within the northern precinct of Bermondsey Abbey at this date and that it may have been delineated by a stone precinct wall on the eastern side of the street. No evidence for a precinct wall was uncovered, but remains of a late-medieval building, which may have fronted Bermondsey Street, were found. This building may have stood until c1580. Three major phases of post-medieval construction activity were recorded, including a major rebuilding phase dated to after 1660, and incorporating medieval building stone and ceramic building material probably robbed from Bermondsey Abbey. Photographs and drawings indicate that the late 17th century buildings were still standing at the end of the 19th century, when they were in use by a currier and may previously have been occupied by a wool stapler. During the 18th and 19th centuries the marshy hinterland behind the street frontage was used for various industrial processes associated with the leather industry.
