London City Wall

In the civil parish of City Of London.
In the historic county of London, City of (Modern Authority of London, City of, 1974 county of Greater London).

Roman wall strengthened by Alfred the Great and given major overhaul around 1200, had at least 22 semi-circular flanking bastion and six main gates. A few short sections remain at Tower Hill and the Barbican (which includes a bastion). Murage, first received in 1233 continued until early C14, it was preceded by gifts of money. Murage charged on goods sold in market at rates specified for various goods and 1d for the value of 20s for unnamed merchandise (0.417%)

This site has been described as a;
Urban Defence.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry ruins/remnants remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 206295, 199594)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ320800

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 404759

• Web site links
  • http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.107
• Books
  • Whipp, David, 2006, The Medieval Postern Gate by the Tower of London (London; Museum of London Archaeology Service Monograph 29)
    Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p23, 30, 44, 46, 48, 52-6, 58, 66, 69-71, 87, 90, 92, 97, 107-8, 110, 122, 124, 130-1, 135-6, 139, 143, 158, 162, 167-8, 171, 173, 175, 178, 185-9, 192, 195, 202, 210, 212, 215, 218, 230, 235, 246-7, 261, 278
    Elliot, Julia (ed), 2005, Heritage Unlocked; Guide to free sites in London and the South East (English Heritage) p12-4
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p51
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p149-50
    Schofield, J., 1994, Medieval London House (Yale University Press) p8-12 [Plans of Gates]
    Barron, C., 1989, 'The late Middle Ages: 1270-1520' in Lobel, M.D. (ed), The City of London from Prehistoric Times to c.1520; The British Atlas of Historic Towns Vol3 (Oxford: Oxford University Press/Historic Towns Trust) p34-56
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p272
    Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71 plan p65
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p156-8
    Bell, Cottrill and Spon, 1937, London Wall through 18 Centuries (London)
    RCHME, 1929, Inventory of Historic Monuments in London Vol4: London (The City) (HMSO) p1, 4, 31, 88, 93, 104
    RCHME, 192?, Inventory of Historic Monuments in London Vol3 (HMSO) p35, 69-106
    Lethaby, 1923, Londinium (London)
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p202-4
    Page, Wm (ed), 1909, VCH London Vol1 p43-73
• Journal Articles
  • Bishop, B., 2000, 'A keyhole through the gateway: a watching brief at Aldgate' London Archaeologist Vol9.7 p179-84
    Youngs, S.M. et al, 1988 ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1987' Medieval Archaeology Vol32 p248
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1987, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1986' Medieval Archaeology Vol31 p128-9
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1986, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1985' Medieval Archaeology Vol30 p137, 139
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1985, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1984' Medieval Archaeology Vol29 p173, 175
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T.B., 1984, 'Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1983' Medieval Archaeology Vol28 p227, 229
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T.B., 1983, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1982' Medieval Archaeology Vol27 p194
    Parnell, G., 1982, ‘The excavation of the Roman city wall at the Tower of London and Tower Hill, 1954–76' Transactions of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society Vol33 p85–13
    Dyson, T. and Schofield, J., 1981, ‘Excavations in the City of London: second interim report, 1974–1978' Transactions of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society Vol32 p24–81
    Youngs, S.M. and Clark, J., 1981, ‘Medieval Britain in 1980' Medieval Archaeology Vol25 p211
    Maloney, J., 1980, ‘The discovery of bastion 4A in the City of London and its implications' Transactions of the London and Middlessex Archaeological Society Vol31 p68-76
    Maloney, J. and Harding, C., 1979, ‘Dukes Place and Houndsditch: the medieval defences' London Archaeologist, 3.13 p347-54
    Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1979, ‘Medieval Britain in 1978' Medieval Archaeology Vol23 p267
    Schofield, J., 1978, ‘Bastion 10A: a newly identified bastion in the City of London' Transactions of the London and Middlessex Archaeological Society Vol29 p91-8
    Hobley, B. and Schofield, J., 1977, ‘Excavations in the City of London: first interim report, 1974-1975' Antiquaries Journal Vol57 p31-66
    Guildhall Museum, 1970, 'Archaeological finds in the City of London 1966-9' Transactions of the London and Middlessex Archaeological Society Vol22 p1-9
    1945, Transactions of the London and Middlessex Archaeological Society Vol9 p193-5
    Norman, 1927, Antiquarian Journal Vol7 p518-20
    Lethaby, 1922, The Builder Vol122 p340-3, 376-7 [reprinted as Londinium]
    Norman, 1913, Transactions of the London and Middlessex Archaeological Society Vol2 271-6
    Terry, 1905, Transactions of the London and Middlessex Archaeological Society Vol1 p351-9
    Fox, 1890, Archaeologia Vol52 609-16
    1888, The Builder Vol54 p314-15
    1885, The Antiquary Vol12 p96-101
    1885, The Builder Vol48 p742
    Brock, 1882, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol38 p127-35, 424-6
    Price, 1881, Transactions of the London and Middlessex Archaeological Society Vol5 p403-
    Langley, 1881, The Antiquary Vol3 p62-5
    Brock, 1880, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol36 p463-4
    Brock, 1876, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol32 p490-3
    Brock 1875, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol31 p76-80
    Wallen, 1870, Transactions of the London and Middlessex Archaeological Society Vol3 p52-3
    Tite, 1866, Archaeologia Vol40 p295-306
    1855, The Builder Vol13 p221-3, 269-71
• Guidebooks
  • Chapman, H., Hall, J. and Marsh, G., 1985, The London Wall Walk (London: Museum of London)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • William FitzStephen, c. 1180, 'A description of London' Translated in Henry Thomas Riley (ed), 1860, Liber Custumarum. Rolls Series,no12, vol2 p2-15 [http://www.trytel.com/%7Etristan/towns/florilegium/introduction/intro01.html#p04]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Speed, John, 1611-12, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain [http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/home/johnspeed/Cities17.htm]
    William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/midlesexeng.html#mids6]