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 topography and reclamation of Bankside Eyot: archaeological excavations at 231-241 Blackfriars Road, Southwark
JOHN PAYNE
Archaeological excavations at 231--241 Blackfriars Road, Southwark in March and April 2008 revealed evidence of archaeological remains that date from the prehistoric and Roman periods to the earlier post-medieval. The site is situated on a former gravel eyot lying adjacent to the main channel of the Thames. Evidence for prehistoric activity was indicated by residual worked and burnt flint of Mesolithic through to Bronze Age date, as well as ceramics of probable Iron Age date. A substantial ditch may represent evidence of agricultural activity with attempts to drain the area during the medieval period. Alluvial clays and silts of early post-medieval date indicate a period of increasingly wetter conditions and visible evidence for anthropogenic activity did not recommence until the 17th century, when a series of east--west ditches suggests a concerted effort to drain the area for agricultural and industrial use. This activity gradually increased and was eventually replaced by structures associated with permanent occupation, which expanded rapidly with the construction of the first bridge at Blackfriars in 1769.
