Archaeologists Find Possible Remnants of Medieval Thames River Under the Palace of Westminster

Experts working to restore the Palace of Westminster may have found remnants of the medieval Thames river, according to a report by BBC.

As part of the restoration work for the building, the structure was excavated. Experts believe that it is most likely a portion of the original medieval Thames wall that once ran beneath the Houses of Parliament.

The team said it is composed of Kentish Ragstone, a hard grey limestone quarried in Kent and utilized in the building of the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. Experts add that it is most likely at least 700 years old.

The remains are currently being evaluated by the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA).

Historical Treasure Trove

According to Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Palace of Westminster is a historical treasure trove, and it is crucial to prioritize its restoration while ensuring its past is properly preserved.

As part of the Restoration and Renewal Programme, it was necessary to drill 70m (230ft) deep (deeper than the Elizabeth line) to assess the subsurface conditions beneath the Houses of Parliament.

A little portion of the river wall's material was removed for investigation before the site was meticulously covered up once more to protect the structure.

Since the summer, five out of the potential 15 to 20 boreholes for Concept Engineering's ground assessment project have been sunk. Operations will continue through the summer of 2023.

The structure that marks the historic embankment's border, according to the company, was discovered barely a few meters below the surface.

Medieval River Wall

The medieval river wall was also uncovered in Westminster's Black Rod's Garden by archaeologists in 2015, marking the wall's second discovery.

The first discovery was a wall that runs beside the riverside's medieval position, coupled with medieval timber constructions that are believed to be waterfront revetments, as noted by BBC.

After many of the medieval structures burned down, the land was reclaimed from the Thames to expand the Palace site when it was constructed in the 1800s.

According to Roland Tillyer, an archaeologist of MOLA, they were expecting that stone structures could be found on the site, and the borehole in Chancellor's Court may have come across such structures.

"The first few meters of the borehole sequence was as expected, post-medieval dump deposits, which are quite soft, but then around 3.5m (11.5ft) we came across much harder material, including Kentish ragstone, mixed with a sandy mortar," Tillyer said in a statement with BBC.

Archaeologists had been present for each of the boreholes, according to a representative of the Restoration and Renewal Programme, to record any artifacts of historical importance.

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Written by Jace Dela Cruz