Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 1.djvu/132

114 that London was formerly walled on the water-side, and although, in his time the wall was no longer standing, at least in an entire state, there was probably enough left to trace its course by. The cause of its destruction, this writer tells us, was the water; but it is difficult to conceive how the overthrow of a work of such solidity and strength could have been thus accomplished. This wall was first noticed at the foot of Lambeth hill, forming an angle with Thames-street, and extending, with occasional breaks, to Queenhithe; and some walling of similar character, probably a part of the above, has been noticed in Thames-street, opposite Queen-street. It was from eight to ten feet thick, and about eight deep, reckoning the top at nine feet from the present street level, and composed of ragstone and flint, with, alternate layers of red and yellow, plain and curve-edged tiles, cemented by mortar as firm and hard as the tiles, from which it could not be separated. For the foundation strong oaken piles were used, upon which was laid a stratum of chalk and stones, and then a course of hewn sand-stones from three to four feet long, by two and a-half in width.

Some of the materials of this wall had evidently been used in an earlier public building, the destruction of which may have been accomplished during some insurrection of the Britons, such as that under Boadicea. Many of the foundation-stones above-mentioned were ornamented with mouldings and sculpture, and had been cut for adaptation into a frieze or entablature of an edifice, the dimensions of which may be conceived from the fact of many of these stones weighing half a ton. Fragments of sculptured marble, among which was a portion of a decorated stone, which appears to have formed part of an altar, had also been worked into the wall.

At what period Londinium was first fortified with walls, there is no evidence to certify. It is probable that this did not take place until after the recovery of the province by Constantius, or even later, when Theodosius restored and garrisoned the towns, and fortified the stations and camps against the northern pirates.

Foundations of other walls of great thickness have been discovered in Bush-lane, in Five-Foot Alley, in Cornhill, and other localities, but the circumstances under which they were observed, forbid our hazarding any satisfactory conjecture as to their