Holywell Priory and the development of Shoreditch to c1600: Archaeology from the London Overground East London Line

Abstract

• The upgrade and extension of the East London Line created an opportunity for archaeologists to discover more about Shoreditch. Archaeological investigations followed the proposed route and this volume examines the landscapes concealed beneath modern-day Shoreditch. Roman burials were discovered here, close to Ermine Street. The area was transformed in the 1150s by the foundation of Augustinian Holywell Priory, west of what is now Shoreditch High Street. Holywell was the ninth richest nunnery in England at the Dissolution. Sir Thomas Lovell established a residence within its precinct and was buried in the priory church in 1524; other mansions were constructed to the east. Properties associated with the former religious precincts defined the early London suburbs.