Puleston, John Henry: Roman antiquities recently discovered on the site of the National Safe Deposit Company's premises, Mansion House, London (London, 1873)

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Romcm Antiquities recently discovered on the site of the

Queenhithe, and Vintry from those on the north side of Oheapside, and Old
Change and Lambeth Hill (except a small portion at the north end near Cheap-
side, and at the south near Thames Street) form their western limits. These wards
may therefore roughly be taken as defined by Walbrook on the east, the Thames
on the south, Old Change and Lambeth Hill on the west, and Cheapside on the
north. The western boundary abuts on the precincts of St. Paul's cathedral and
those of Castle Baynard, or perhaps walls belonging to these two places. On the
south and east sides river-courses were the boundary of these wards, and it is
hoped to show that formerly a watercourse ran along the present line of Cheap-
side, and fell into Walbrook at Bucklersbury east end. It was the opinion of
Sir C. Wren that a Roman causeway ran along the line south of Cheapside, and
that it was at the limit of the city during a part of the Roman occupation, and
our brook would have run on the north side of this causeway or road. We feel
that the generally received notion that Oheapside was at all times the site of a
great western market, as Eastcheap was that for the eastern part of the city, will
be against these views, but we must remember that this is not supported by any
document which can be considered of great antiquity, and is not found perhaps
before the thirteenth century. Even the mention of Cheapside as a highway
does not go back to very early times. That this site in the eleventh century had
not the consistence of an average field is proved by the fact that in 1090, when
the roof of Bow church was blown off by a tempest, the rafters, which were
26 feet long, penetrated more than 20 feet into the soft soil of Cheapside. We
may therefore fairly infer that at this period nothing in the nature of a highway
existed here. The strongest evidence of the existence of a watercourse in the line
of Cheapside we find in Maitland's History of London, vol. ii. p. 826 :

At Bread Street corner, the north-east end, in 1595, one Thomas Tomlinson, causing in the
High Street of Cheap a vault to be digged and made, there was found, at fifteen feet deep, a fair
pavement, like that above ground, and at the further end, at the channel, was found a tree sawed
into five steps, which was to step over some brook running out of the west towards Walbrook.
And upon the edge of the said brook, as it seemeth, there were found lying along the bodies of
two great trees, the ends whereof were then sawed off, and firm timber, as at the first when they
fell. Part of the said trees remain yet in the ground undigged. It was all forced ground until
they went past the trees aforesaid, which was about seventeen feet deep or better. Thus much
hath the ground of this city (in that place) been raised from the main. And here it may be
observed, that within fourscore years and less Cheapside was raised clivers feet higher, for it was
found to be twenty-eight feet higher than it was when St. Paul's was first built, as appeared by
several eminent marks discovered in the late laying of the foundation of that church."