What is going on in Walbrook, between the Mansion House
and Cannon Street station, must be heartbreaking for archaeologists. The clearing of a bombed site preparatory to the erection of a block of office buildings is bringing to light quantities of Roman remains—sandals, brooches, coins, pottery, tools—and burying most of them again. A huge grab is constantly at work, which means that the archaeologists (most of them connected with the Guildhall Library) cannot work at the same time, and what the grab catches it smashes. Here, then, is an almost priceless find'uncovered, only to be covered up again, perhaps for ever. The archaeologists labour overtime at week-ends when the builders are away, but what they can salvage is only a fragment of what there is to be salvaged. A glimpse of Roman London, then tons of bricks and mortar clamped down on it. Is heartbreaking too strong a word to use ?-
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