Southwark Cathedral
Numerous important archeological finds were discovered during the groundworks, dating from the Roman period up to the 18th Century. Amongst the finds were a 1st century AD road linking Roman London Bridge with a crossing point at Westminster which was found running across the site, together with roadside ditches and the remains of houses. Cut into part of the road were walls, part of the medieval Augustinian priory chapter house. Overlying these were several phases of 17th and 18th century pottery kilns, part of the Delftware pottery industry that was so important to Southwark. East of the Cathedral the foundations of the Lady Chapel (later known as the Bishop's Chapel) were excavated, together with the brick-built vault constructed for the burial of Bishop Lancelot Andrewes, in the early 17th century. In addition, to the west and the north of the Cathedral, several parts of the foundations of the medieval priory church were discovered. The Cathedral authorities and architects were quick to recognise the importance of these remains and ensured that as much of the archaeology as possible is displayed to the public. The new glazed link incorporates a gallery where visitors can view the Roman road, the chapter house walls and the Delftware kiln. In the herb garden east of the Cathedral, the walls of the Bishop's Chapel, together with a line of later houses built up against it, have been retained as features. The large archaeological interest particularly impacted on the excavation for the new library building, which was delayed for approximately six months whilst the archaeologists worked on the area. The whole project was under the careful supervision of the archaeological team, with shallow graves being found all around the site. The programme was re-sequenced to take account of the archaeological works, and progressed in other areas. After receiving an Extension of Time the project was completed on programme and was opened by Nelson Mandela.
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