archaeological and historical background prehistoric Archaeological excavations in north Southwark have shown that until the Roman period, if not later, this area consisted of a number of small islands divided by braided river channels. Excavations close to the Tate Modern at Hopton Street and at Skinmarket Place have produced firm evidence for prehistoric settlement on this, one of the larger islands. Neolithic ceramics and lithics were recorded at the latter site, while continuing agricultural activity into the Bronze Age has been excavated in the form of ard marks and stakeholes. The stakeholes were associated with small pits and postholes and to the south, the natural sand was cut by a pit containing a whole closed Beaker bowl (a rare find in Britain) with a flint core and blade. A series of water courses were also recorded suggesting a gradual rise in water levels leading to the abandonment of the site in the mid Bronze Age. On the foreshore itself, extensive exposures of prehistoric peat layers have been recorded and it is likely that that Neolithic land surfaces survive under much of the modern foreshore. roman There is very little evidence from either the foreshore area or dry land excavations to suggest Roman activity in the vicinity, and it is likely that fluctuating water levels, combined with a low-lying marsh environment may have inhibited extensive development of the area. The main focus of Roman activity lay to the east of the zone in the area of the bridgehead. However, artefacts of Roman date are occasionally found on the foreshore. Roman tile medieval The topography of medieval Southwark, and especially the Bankside area, is far less well documented than that of the City, partly because it was less well developed but also because there is no local equivalent of the great body of private title deeds enrolled at the City’s Court of Husting. The area to the eastern side of Masons Stairs and the alley leading to it, lay within the manor of the bishops of Winchester, known from the 15th century as ‘The Clink.’ This was created in the 12th century, partly with land purchased from Bermondsey Abbey, and when complete in the 1180s amounted to some 60 to 70 acres. To the west it adjoined Paris Garden, a possession of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, and to the east the bishop’s mills and palace. Much of this land was low-lying and marshy in character, and despite much ditching and reclamation work from the early 13th century largely remained so until the 16th century: the entire manor was known as ‘the marsh of the bishop,’ and as late as 1477 tenants were required to raise the lower-lying meadowlands with earth and dung. Fronting the properties on the Southwark bank and running along the river all the way between Paris Gardens and Winchester mills was the roadway which since at least the 16th century gave the name Bankside to the area. There is no mention of Bankside in medieval deeds which usually describe the local properties, known as the stews, as extending from the river on the north to Maiden Lane on the south. It is likely that the way called Bankside was essentially a private access road created on top of the riverside embankments that each riparian landowner or tenant was bound to maintain. Beyond the stews and the Winchester mills it was continued eastwards as far as St Mary Overy’s dock by the road known from at least the 17th century as Clink Street. Evidence from excavations in the vicinity has found flood deposits dating to the 14th-15th century and the GLSMR records evidence for a number of late medieval features including a wharf, revetments, pot kiln waste, millponds and a watermill.

thames discovery programme Bankside FSW11 This site is approximately 650m long and 40m wide; it is bounded by Cannon Street and Blackfriars Railway Bridges. There are four access points to the zone: three of these are of modern concrete, Globe, Bankside, Founders Arms Stairs. The fourth is underneath Southwark Bridge – the gate here is usually locked. The ground conditions on the site are generally firm (gravels) with considerable deposition at the top of the foreshore. Towards the

downstream end of the site, the ground surface is particularly uneven due to modern rubble dumping.

post medieval A series of archaeological investigations at Hopton Street have revealed evidence for increasing activity through the post-medieval and into the Victorian period. This included the construction of 17th century buildings, including an inn, with associated drainage. . A ditch some 40m long was associated with these buildings, and appears to have been cut in the 16th century, lined with wooden posts and planking (re-used from Thames boats and other vessels) during the 17th century and continued in use into the 18th century. After the ditch was backfilled, a number of brick-lined cesspits were constructed over it, with other cesspits constructed nearby. A glasshouse with a brick kiln, in operation from the mid 18th century until the late 19th century, was also excavated. The Steam Cocoa Mills were constructed on the site in 1878. A group of commercial buildings was also recorded before demolition. The ends of two early 19th-c brick buildings, originally extending to the E and demolished by 1957, when Bankside Power Station was built, were encased in a warehouse probably of mid 19th-c date. Further to the west, the yard was enclosed by two and three-storey brick buildings, documented in 1860 as a van-builder's workshop, with dwelling and offices, and a one-storey building, partly housing stables, incorporating a brick chimney next to the warehouse. The warehouse was probably built to store timber, possibly imported mahogany, documented as unloaded on Bankside: traces of bearings on a wall and stone-edged pits in the cement floor, later infilled, suggested saw pits, perhaps steam-powered. No trace of a boiler or hearth was seen under the chimney, which is documented as serving a smithy. The west side of the warehouse was later closed with a brick wall under the roof eaves, and the building reinforced with steel girders; roof tiles were replaced by slates, and the yard was roofed with wired glass, documented by 1914. The other buildings were partly rebuilt with concrete and steel, possibly after Second World War bomb damage. The steelwork was generally reused, and cut and joined to fit. Latterly the buildings were a paper warehouse. A101 Access Stair. Southwark Bridge. Triple vaulted stone. A102 Access Stair. Timber. Foundation for A101 or earlier structure re-used as such. A103 Access Causeway. Southwark Bridge. Timber and stone A104 Furniture Railing and Gate. Cast iron at top of Stair A101 A105 Agradation Gravel against upstream side A101 A106 Artefact scatter Ceramic Scatter with A105. Roman to 19th century. Redeposited? A107 Historic Site Approximate site of crane in 1873 and wharf structure in 1750 A108 Historic Site Approximate site of crane in 1873 A109 Furniture Cranebase. Cast iron 1.9m x 1.6m. A110 Furniture Cranebase. Cast iron 1.2m x 1m. A111 Access Stair? Vertical timber with diagonal brace. A112 Wharf Timber. Three vertical and two horizontal timbers wharf? A113 Wharf Timber. Four vertical timber and morticed baseplate. Wharf? A114 Wharf Timber. Three vertical posts. Wharf? A115 Wharf Timber. Three vertical posts Wharf? A116 Riverfront defence Brick. wall A117 Riverfront defence Stone capping added to A116 A118 Riverfront defence Brick wall with timber fenders. Straight-jointed to A116 and A120. A119 Riverfront defence Brick wall with timber fenders. Straight-jointed to A116 and A120. A120 Riverfront defence Brick wall with timber fenders. Later concrete cap. A121 Riverfront defence Sheet piled A122 Riverfront defence Concrete, probably covering earlier wall. A123 Bargebed Timber and rubble A124 Bargebed Timber and rubble A125 Access Stair. Site of New Thames St Stair (Rocque) A126 Access Stair. Site of ‘Goat Stair’ (Rocque) A127 Consolidation Remains of.

A128 Artefact scatter Worked stone. Moulded architectural fragments, some of medieval style within spread of rubble.

A129 Bridge Southwark Bridge A130 Wharf Concrete.

A131 Riverfront defence Stone corbel built into wall A116 A132 Bargebed Timber revetted stone. Probably part of A124 A133 Consolidation Compact, iron-stained, blackish A134 Consolidation Concrete. Patch of poured concrete, apparently deliberate A135 Consolidation Concrete. Patches of poured concrete, apparently deliberate A136 Hard Chalk rubble. A137 Timber Isolated timber. probably redeposited A138 Timber Isolated timber. probably redeposited A139 Mooring feature Timber. Roundwood vertical. Mooring post? A140 Mooring feature Timber vertical. Mooring post? A141 Bargebed Timber, linear feature. A142 Mooring feature Timber vertical. Mooring post? A143 Timber Isolated timber. Probably redeposited. A144 Timber Timber vertical. A145 Timber Timber vertical. A146 Timber Timber base-plate or shuttering. A147 Consolidation Rubble and ironpanning A148 Consolidation Rubble and ironpanning A149 Consolidation Containing CBM and glass dumps A150 Mooring feature Chain. attached to block covered by gravel A151 Artefact scatter Nails. Shipyard. A152 Deposit Patch of crushed wood fragments. Boatyard waste? A153 Artefact scatter Nails. as A151 A154 Mooring feature Timbers (2) Angled. Remains of braces to support hull during boat work? A155 Mooring feature Timbers (8) Angled. Remains of braces to support hull during boat work? A156 Mooring feature Timber. Angled. Remains of braces to support hull during boat work? A157 Mooring feature Timber. Angled. Remains of braces to support hull during boat work? A158 Mooring feature Block. Concrete A159 Mooring feature Block. Stone A160 Mooring feature Block. Stone A161 Furniture Crane. Two vertical iron cylinders linked by pipe running upshore. Well to supply hydraulic crane? A162 Deposit Sequence. Island of gravel and sands capped with organic clay. A163 Forest Intermittent exposure of organic clays with roots and rootlets. A164 Artefact scatter Nails. associated with shipworking A165 Timber Large horizontal timber. Appears to be part worked, during shipworking. A166 Jetty? Timber. A167 Jetty? Timber. A168 Access Stair. Timbers. 2 vertical. Remains of Mason's Stair? A169 Access Stair. Timber vertical. Remains of Mason's Stairs?.

A170 Access Causeway. Timbers. 6 vertical. Remains of Mason's Stairs? A171 Drain Bored log. A172 Structure (unclassified) Crane base? Mooring feature? Timber. Base of box-like structure, c.2m square. A173 Deposit Peat/organic clay. Similar to A162 and A163 A174 Degradation Erosion line A175 Mooring feature Timber vertical. Mooring post? A176 Mooring feature Timber vertical. Mooring post? A177 Artefact scatter Nails. Shipyard remains. A178 Structure (unclassified) Slipway? Jetty?Timber. 3 parallel lines of vertical and horizontal timbers, at right angles to the river. A179 Consolidation Chalk scatter

A180 Furniture Crane. Timber, concrete and metal structures. Three near square and one circular. Foundation and well for hydraulic crane?

A181 Vessel Rudder A182 Jetty Panorama Island'. Now removed A183 Standing building Power Station. Bankside (Tate Modern) A184 Access Stair. Concrete. Bankside Stairs. Modern A185 Access Causeway. Stone and Timber A186 Watercraft Clinker built vessel fragment A187 Access Causeway. - remains of. Stone and timber A188 Jetty? Remains under Panorama Island A189 Bridge Blackfriars Bridge - old railway bridge piers A190 Mooring feature Block. Stone A191 Mooring feature Block. Stone A192 Structure (unclassified) Single square softwood post A193 Structure (unclassified) Single circular post A194 Structure (unclassified) Two vertical posts A195 Structure (unclassified) Single timber beam A196 Structure (unclassified) Single stake A197 Structure (unclassified) Single angled timber, 17th / 18th C? A198 Agradation Sand A199 Agradation Coarse gravel against river wall