Ward of Walbrook

Ordnance Survey
OS grid reference:	TQ325810
Administration
Local government:	Corporation of London
Region:	London
Country:	England
State:	United Kingdom
Other
Police force:	City of London Police
Ceremonial county:	City of London
Historic county:	Middlesex
Post office and telephone
Post town:	LONDON
Postcode:	EC4
Dialling code:	020
Politics
UK Parliament:	Cities of London and Westminster
London Assembly:	City and East
European Parliament:	London

The Walbrook river played a key role in the Roman settlement of Londinium, the city now known as London. It is thought that the river acquired its name from the fact that it ran through or under the London Wall. The stream started in what is now Finsbury and flowed right through the centre of the walled city into the River Thames, near to where Cannon Street Railway Bridge is now located, splitting the settlement in two. It was probably used for fresh drinking water and also for carrying sewage down to the Thames. The Romans built a temple to Mithras on the east bank. The temple was discovered and subsequently excavated during rebuilding work after World War II. The Roman Governor's palace was also located on the east bank of the stream, near to its entry point into the Thames. It is said that, when Londinium (also known then as Caer Lundein) fell to the invading Saxons in the late 6th century, all the British (Celtic) inhabitants were forced to live on the east bank of the Walbrook while the Saxons would reside on the west. This ancient division endured as the east side — or East End — continued to suffer in poverty while the west side — of West End — flourished.^{[citation needed]} The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... There is no single system of local government in the United Kingdom. ... Arms of the City of London as shown on Blackfriars station. ... The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government subnational entity of England in the United Kingdom. ... Greater London is the top level administrative subdivision covering London and forms one of the nine regions of England. ... 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London is a constituency of the European Parliament. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_City_of_London. ... The River Thames in London River running into Harrietville Trout Farm A river is a large natural waterway. ... The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ... London has a history that goes back 2,000 years. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom. ... London Wall was the defensive wall built by the Romans around Londinium, their strategically important port town on the river Thames in England. ... Finsbury is a place in the south of the London Borough of Islington. ... The Thames (pronounced []) is a river flowing through southern England and connecting London with the sea. ... Cannon Street Railway Bridge Cannon Street Railway Bridge is a bridge in central London, crossing the River Thames. ... Sewage is the liquid water produced by human society which typically contains washing water, laundry waste, faeces, urine and other liquid or semi-liquid wastes. ... Mithras and the Bull: fresco from the mithraeum at Marino, Italy, (3rd century) Mithras was the central savior god of Mithraism, a syncretic Hellenistic mystery religion of male initiates that developed in the Eastern Mediterranean in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC and was practiced in the Roman Empire from... The present day location of the temple foundations. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

The Walbrook river now runs completely underground. The only evidence above ground that the stream is there is a street called Walbrook, which runs parallel to its course. On the street is a church called St Stephen Walbrook, which originally stood on the west bank of the stream, but was rebuilt around 1439 on the east side. In 1666 the church burned down in the Great Fire of London and Sir Christopher Wren built a new church there in 1672 to replace it, which still stands. The historic London Stone, which would have been a highly important religious symbol in Roman as well as pre-Roman London, is also minutes from Walbrook, as is the present-day Bank of England. St Stephen Walbrook at dusk St. ... The Great Fire of London was a major fire that swept through the City of London from 2-5 September 1666, and resulted more or less in the destruction of the city. ... Christopher Wren by Godfrey Kneller, 1711. ... London Stone 111 Cannon Street London The London Stone is an ancient stone, that is said to be the place from which the Romans measured all distances in Great Britain. ... The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom, sometimes known as The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street or The Old Lady. The nearest London Underground station is Bank station. ...

In the 1860s excavations by General Augustus Pitt Rivers uncovered a large number of human skulls, and almost no other bones, in the bed of the Walbrook.^[1] This has been seen as reminiscent of a passage from Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (ca. 1136) in which a legion of Roman soldiers who surrendered to Asclepiodotus after being besieged in London were decapitated by his allies the Venedoti, and their heads thrown into a river called the Gallobroc.^[2] However, Geoffrey's History is notoriously unreliable, and some historians consider these skulls to be a result of the rebellion of Boudica.^[3] Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers (14th April, 1827– 4 May 1900) was an English army officer, ethnologist, and archaeologist. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. ... Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniæ (English: The History of the Kings of Britain) was written around 1136. ... A modern reconstruction of a Roman centurion around 70 A modern reconstruction of a Roman miles, (10-240) The Roman legion (from Latin , from lego, legere, legi, lectus — to collect) was the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army. ... Asclepiodotus (Welsh language: Alyssglapitwlws) was a Roman praetorian prefect who re-established Roman rule in Britain following the illegal rules of Carausius and Allectus. ... Gwynedd was one of the kingdoms or principalities of medieval Wales. ... Statue of Boudica near Westminster Pier Boudica (also Boudicca, Boadicea, Buduica, Bonduca) (d. ...

The Walbrook is one of many "lost" rivers of London, the most famous of which is the River Fleet. Entrance to the Fleet River, Samuel Scott, c. ...

References

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. ... Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniæ (English: The History of the Kings of Britain) was written around 1136. ... Dr. John Morris was the late 20th century Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at University College, London. ...

See also

• Subterranean rivers of London
• Roman sites in the United Kingdom

The subterranean or underground rivers of London are the tributaries of the River Thames and River Lea that were built over during the growth of the metropolis of London. ... There are many Roman sites in the United Kingdom that are open to the public. ...

External links

• Map showing the location of the street named Walbrook
• Map showing the location of remains the temple of Mithras