Name: London Wall
Rating: 5.0

London Wall

Tower Hill, London EC3N 4DJ, UK

1-99 Years

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London Wall is one of the most impressive surviving sections of the ancient Roman wall that once surrounded the city of Londinium. Located at Tower Hill, just north of the Tower of London, it dates back to around AD 200. For over 1,500 years, this wall defined London’s boundaries and symbolised its strength and importance.

Visitors can see a substantial stretch of the original wall rising up to 10.7 metres above ground level. The lower sections clearly show Roman construction with distinctive horizontal bands of red tiles, while the upper parts were rebuilt and strengthened during the medieval period. The wall was originally over two and a half miles long and required vast amounts of Kentish ragstone, transported from near Maidstone to London. Today, this preserved section offers a rare chance to stand beside a structure that shaped the city for centuries.

The site is open during reasonable daylight hours and is free to visit. It is conveniently located next to Tower Hill Underground Station, making it easily accessible for visitors exploring central London.

London Wall provides a fascinating glimpse into Roman and medieval London. Whether you are interested in ancient history or simply exploring the city’s hidden landmarks, it’s a powerful reminder of London’s long and layered past.

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Free
Host birthday parties: No

Features

Immediately north of the Tower of London, right in the heart of Tower Hill, stands one of the most substantial and impressive surviving sections of the London Wall.
Built around AD 200, the Roman wall not only provided defence and security to the citizens of London, but also represented the status of the city itself.
Once around two and a half miles long, over time it was modified, adapted and added to, before finally being obscured and partially destroyed as new buildings were constructed around it.
Today, however, many of the buildings which had formerly hidden it have been cleared away, and visitors can enjoy a clear view of the monument that defined both the size and shape of the city for over a millennium.
For 1,500 years London was a walled city. Built originally by the Romans from about AD 200, the wall defined London’s boundaries and proclaimed its status as the most important city in Roman Britain.
It was renewed and extended during the medieval period to protect the city of London from attack and to control access. Today, only a few short sections of wall are publicly accessible above ground.
English Heritage cares for one of the most substantial and impressive remaining sections, at Tower Hill, north of the Tower of London and just outside Tower Hill Station.
The construction of such a monumental structure was a substantial investment of resources by the residents of Londinium. An estimated 35,000 cubic metres of Kentish ragstone was quarried 70 miles away, near Maidstone, and then shipped via the Medway and Thames to London.
The route of the wall would have been cleared of buildings, the ground levelled, and rivers and streams canalised before construction began. The section of wall preserved at Tower Hill shows not only its imposing height in the medieval period, but also its Roman origins.
At 10.7 metres above present ground level, it is one of the tallest surviving parts of the circuit. The upper portions and many of the facing stones are medieval, but the lower 4 metres are easily identified as originally Roman by the characteristic horizontal bands of red tiles.