Remains of an important mausoleum discovered in London, the most intact ever found in Britain

The remains of a Roman mausoleum have been found in London in an excellent state of preservation: according to the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) team credited with the discovery, it is an “incredibly rare” find. The mausoleum was discovered at the site of The Liberty of Southwark, exactly where some of the largest Roman mosaics ever found in London were discovered in February 2022. Of the mausoleum, the walls were found as well as some interior floors, including a mosaic surrounded by a podium on which burials were placed. It is, explains MOLA, which conducted the excavation on behalf of Landsec and Transport for London (TfL), the most intact Roman mausoleum ever discovered in Britain. Archaeologists are now planning to open the mausoleum to the public in the future.

The mausoleum was almost completely dismantled, probably in medieval times, but what remains suggests that it was an important building, perhaps two stories high, and built by wealthy people, perhaps as a family tomb (although no urns or coffins were found: in return, more than 100 coins, remnants of metal objects, fragments of pottery, some tiles were found. The area around the mausoleum contained more than 80 burials, where various objects were found: copper bracelets, glass, coins, pottery, a bone comb.

“This relatively small site in Southwark,” said Antoinette Lerz, MOLA archaeologist, “is a microcosm for the changing fortunes of Roman London, from the earliest phase of the site when London expands and the area has richly decorated Roman buildings, to the late Roman period when the settlement shrinks and becomes a quieter space where people remembered their dead. It provides a fascinating window into the living conditions and lifestyle of this part of the city in the Roman period.”

Remains of an important mausoleum discovered in London, the most intact ever found in Britain

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