Roman road unearthed beneath Old Kent Road, London

The excavation works took place as part of the development of a new energy supply for Southwark’s low carbon heat network by Southwark Council and Veolia, now the latest layer of Old Kent Road’s history.

Roman roads are characteristically straight, so the archaeologists had a good idea of its expected location. Yet, until now, archaeological evidence to confirm Watling Street’s exact route had been challenging to find. We appointed a team of archaeologists from MOLA for the excavation where they discovered the first physical proof that sections of the 2000-year-old route survive directly beneath its modern counterpart.

Roman Watling Street once ran from the Roman port at Dover (Dubris) on the Kent coast through London (Londinium) to the West Midlands, connecting Britain with the wider Roman world.

The section of Roman road uncovered was well-preserved and measures 5.8 metres wide by 1.4 metres high. Distinct layers can be seen, which tell the story of the road’s construction. It has a solid foundation of compacted gravel sealed by two layers of chalk, topped with another layer of compacted sand and gravel. The original surface of the road would likely have been made from the same material and sat at a similar level to the modern road, however this has been lost. 

Southwark Council’s in-house Archaeology Officer, working with our archaeologists and MOLA, had expected to find evidence for the course of the road and advised on the excavation throughout. 

Dr Chris Constable, Southwark Council’s Archaeological Officer said: “I’m pleased this project has answered our questions over the course of the Roman road south of the Cantium Retail Park where a section was excavated in the early 1990s, south of the line of the modern road. In the planning for this project, working with RPS, we’d expected to solve this question but the extent of survival of the road is remarkable. We hope this project will answer some other archaeological questions in the borough.”

Gillian King, Director of Archaeology at RPS said: “The discovery of an intact section of Roman Wating Street directly under the current Old Kent Road has redrawn the Roman road map for Southwark and informs on Roman construction techniques generally, it is a key finding for archaeological research for London.”

Dave Taylor, MOLA Project Manager said: “It’s amazing this section of road has survived for almost 2000 years. There has been so much activity here over the past few hundred years, from sewers to power cables, tramlines and of course the building of the modern road, so we’re really excited to find such a substantial chunk of Roman material remaining.”

Early works are underway to bring low carbon heating to 3,000 more council homes along Old Kent Road, with hopes to reduce the borough’s carbon footprint by a further 11,100 tonnes of carbon each year.

Old Kent Road is the busiest Opportunity Area in London in respect of new housing. Since 2018, Southwark Council has approved 9,500 homes (an average of 1,500 approvals per year), of which 708 have been completed and 1,825 are currently under construction. 

To commemorate the discovery of Watling Street, a plaque will be installed on Old Kent Road bridge. The bridge itself is undergoing a transformation, featuring a vibrant mural titled ‘A Home from Home’, created in collaboration with the local community.

Along a route once used by visiting emperors, today’s Old Kent Road remains a great place to live and work, with huge potential to evolve.

Find out more about the renewal of Old Kent Road at www.oldkentroad.org.uk