A 2,000-year-old section of Roman road has been uncovered directly beneath Old Kent Road.
Watling Street was built shortly after the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43, and while archaeologists had a good idea of where the road should be, it had previously proved difficult to find evidence to confirm its exact route.
The recent discovery, made during excavation works as part of a project by Southwark Council and Veolia to install a low carbon heat network, is the first proof that sections of the Roman road survive directly beneath Old Kent Road.
Southwark Council’s archaeology officer, Dr Chris Constable, said: ‘In the planning for this project, we’d expected to solve this question but the extent of survival of the road is remarkable.’
The section of road is 5.8m wide and 1.4m high.
The discovery will be marked by a sign on the nearby Old Kent Road bridge.
