Secrets of the Gardens: Archaeologists Unearth the Lives of Roman Londoners at Drapers' Gardens

Beneath Drapers' Gardens, in what was once a damp and uninviting quarter of the Roman city of Londinium lies the buried valley of the Walbrook, home to some of the more unpleasant industries of the town, as well as some remarkable and unexpected finds, including a hoard of metal objects buried in a fourth century well. However, what really sets this site apart is both the extraordinary preservation of finds due to the particular soil conditions of the Walbrook Valley, and the sheer size of the area investigated. A near complete urban street with associated buildings spanning many years of the Roman occupation was uncovered. The land was purchased by the Drapers' Company in the mid 16th century and remained open gardens for the next 400 years, contributing to the amazing preservation on site. Secrets of the Gardens is a lavishly illustrated, full colour, popular interim account of the excavations, aimed at the general reader and published in advance of a fuller account in standard monograph format. It also includes sections on the Drapers' Company history and the story of the construction of the new building.