Roman Britain / Learning resources

Reference guides

Roman London: map and guide to Londinium

Locate a selection of Roman sites beneath the modern City, from the amphitheatre and temple to walls and baths.

Find Roman London beneath the City

Londinium grew beside the Thames after the conquest. Its buildings developed over several centuries: the city wall, fort, temple and amphitheatre did not all begin together. Our schematic map locates selected landmarks relative to one another; it does not reconstruct a single ancient date.

Schematic map locating the Barbican fort, Guildhall amphitheatre, Walbrook Mithraeum, Billingsgate baths and Tower Hill wall north of the Thames.
Selected Roman sites in the modern City of London. Schematic map, not to scale. Open the full-size map.

Places on the map

  • Barbican and the north-west fort: traces of the military enclosure survive beneath and around later development. Some remains require a guided visit.
  • Guildhall amphitheatre: the entrance remains are displayed below Guildhall Art Gallery; a curved line in the yard marks part of the arena’s extent.
  • London Mithraeum: the temple remains at Walbrook are presented within Bloomberg SPACE. Read our place guide before planning a visit.
  • Billingsgate house and baths: remains below Lower Thames Street include rooms and heating structures. Access depends on the operator’s current guided-tour arrangements.
  • Tower Hill: a surviving stretch of the city wall provides a visible starting point for investigating London’s defences.

For another view of the city defences, see City Wall at Vine Street. Beyond central Londinium, Crofton Roman Villa introduces a rural estate in modern Greater London; check its reopening update before travelling.

Plan your own visit

Use the official museum and site links for current arrangements and access information. The map is a study aid, not a step-free walking route. Modern streets, underground spaces and private buildings affect what can be reached. Select two nearby sites rather than assuming every landmark is open on the same day.

Read the layers

At each stop, ask what is Roman, what was rebuilt in later centuries and what has been moved or conserved for display. Compare the map with a current street map before travelling.

Context and evidence

The map is deliberately schematic and not to scale. The markers locate modern places where Roman remains are interpreted; they do not show the complete Roman shoreline, street grid or every excavated structure.

Sources and further reading

  1. London Museum: where to see Roman ruins in London
  2. London Museum: a timeline of Roman Londinium

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