London History at the Olympic Games Site
Discoveries on the Rapidly Developing Site of the 2012 Games
Jul 23, 2009
The building of the Olympic Park forms part of the regeneration of one of the poorer areas of the UK capital but one which has huge historical significance for the city and the whole of the UK.
One major part of the work, being carried out by the Museum of London, is on the Channelsea River, part of the Lea Valley system of rivers and reservoirs which can be seen from aircraft windows as certain international flights make their final turn to London Heathrow airport. The river system forms a central part of the new Olympic Park.
King Alfred and the Vikings
According to legend, the Channelsea was dug by King Alfred the Great – the one who burned the cakes and oversaw the introduction of some of England’s earliest native laws – to help deter the marauding Vikings from sailing into the centre of London. It is one of a number of sites in the Lea (sometimes spelt Lee) Valley for which this claim can be made.
Finds already announced by the Museum of London and the Olympic authority include a 150-year old cobbled street which was revealed as the archaeologists tried to find out more about the site of a 12th century Knights Templar mill, built by the militant religious order whose job was to help the journeys of those travelling to the Middle East on pilgrimage. After clearing seven yards of rubbish below the modern ground level, the archaeologists are now hoping to dig further down and find evidence of the original mill.
Knights Templar Mill in Lea Valley
The mill’s presence began the industrialisation of the Lea valley which runs from the Thames in Canning Town to its source north west of the capital. After the Knights Templar built their original mill, followed by a second mill, other mills followed until the 17th century.
Later, the UK’s first petrol factory was built in the valley, plastic was claimed to have been invented, dry cleaning was introduce to the UK in the valley and in 1904, William Yardley opened his cosmetics, soap and lavender factory.
The site has been run-down for many years and London’s winning of the 2012 Olympics was seen as the ideal chance to regenerate it.
Archeological work has now been completed on the most important areas of the site, where the first ring of seating in the main stadium is complete, and will have to cease completely during the next few months as work progresses.
Roman Road and Skeletons
Other finds have included an extensive Late Bronze Age to Middle Iron Age settlement, other prehistoric activity along with a selection of Roman and late medieval findings. One of Britain’s main Roman roads crossed the river Lea not far from the Olympic site.
The remains of a wooden boat dating back to the early nineteenth century have also been uncovered. The experts claim it was used as a form of water taxi but was later rebuilt to transport guns for wild fowling in nearby waterways.
Four skeletons have come to light which are thought to date back to the Iron Age. Other discoveries have included a Roman coin and Roman river walls.
World War Two Defences at Olympic Park
The archeologists have also extended the map of World War Two London. The Olympic Park is just to the north of the former docks which were repeatedly pounded by the Luftwaffe and the site has yielded evidence of defensive work. Four gun emplacements have been found, originally built in 1941 but upgraded in 1944, probably to help attack the flying bombs that locals dubbed Doodle Bugs.
Children from local schools, together with university students studying archeology courses in east London have also been given the chance to explore the site and see how archaeologists work.
Apart from artefacts, the archaeologists are discovering much about the development of these complex waterways and how past climate change has affected the area.
