Roman burials, medieval tenements and suburban growth: 201 Bishopsgate, City of London

Abstract

• Excavations to the north of Liverpool Street Station uncovered evidence of Londinium’s northern cemetery along the west side of Ermine Street, consisting of two phases of inhumation burials in wooden coffins and associated structures. A marsh formed early in the post-Roman period but the area became the property of the priory and hospital of St Mary without Bishopsgate (later St Mary Spital) by the 13th century. The priory drain ran across the site to a marshy area to the west. As Bishopsgate Street became built up the priory and its tenants gave way to private dwellings. The site was intensively developed from the 17th century onwards, reflecting the expansion of London’s suburbs.