You don’t have to walk very far in London to find historical sites – sometimes they can be found in the most unexpected places…
Along the Thames riverside in Rotherhithe you’ll discover the remains of the 13th century moated residence of Edward III, which was built right on the river bank so that the King and his entourage could arrive and depart by boat. Although he used the manor house throughout his reign, by the 17th century the site was in use as a pottery, and from the 18th century onwards a series of warehouses were built here.
Surprisingly, the north wall of the inner courtyard was still intact in 1907, having been incorporated into the wall of one of the warehouses on the site. The industrial units were demolished in the 1970s, and plans made for redevelopment. At this point the borough council and the Museum of London intervened, and archeological investigations began. What you see on the site today is a result of that work – the low-standing walls are all that remains of what was once a magnificent manor house..
About Pete Stean
