London Archaeologist 10 (10)

Study of the remaining portion of late medieval brickwork from repairs to London Wall instigated in 1477 by Sir Ralph Jocelyn, Mayor of London, and of the documentary evidence relating to the repairs. The article considers the Wall's continuing defensive role at that time and up until the sixteenth century, as well as the evidence the surviving portion provides of brick making practices and brick building techniques in late medieval London.

Excavation in advance of construction work uncovered quarry pits partly overlaid by an early Roman road, plus evidence of an unknown structure and of two buildings, from one of which was recovered industrial waste indicating secondary smithing activity. Industrial waste was also recovered from the area between the buildings. During the later Roman period a new ditch was established along the boundary line; a large pit overlain by make-up deposits and a further domestic building represent continued occupation up until c. AD 400. The pottery assemblage provided dating evidence for both phases of Roman occupation. The lower parts of some medieval pits have survived modern truncation and contained early medieval pottery including a few fragments of whiteware crucibles, representing small-scale industrial activity. The remains of the foundations of late-twelfth or thirteenth-century buildings were also found, along with artefacts and environmental evidence from associated pits and dumps.

On a range of mostly modern objects associated with Hinduism that have been found on the Thames foreshore, along with a discussion of questions such as what they represent, why they were deposited and by whom, what should be done with the objects and whether their deposition is harmful.