Walk the London Wall

Understand

The London Wall

The defensive wall that would define London for millennia started with a fort built by the Roman Empire close to the modern Barbican in 120 AD. When the wall itself started to appear decades later at the start of the 3rd century, between 190 and 225 AD, it incorporated this fort, strengthening its outer walls, and encompassed an area that now makes up most of the City of London. The riverside wall was added near the end of the century from about 280 AD in response to Saxon raids. During the medieval period the wall was maintained and some modifications were made. Additional fortifications were added such as crenelations and more bastions. The largest changes were the construction of the Tower of London in the south-east corner of the wall, the extension of the wall on the western side and the expansion of Moorgate from a pedestrian postern to a full gate. As London expanded, the wall became redundant and most of it was eventually demolished or lost under later construction. Some buildings were constructed against the city wall, using it as one of their own walls. The heavy bombing of the City during World War II and subsequent reconstruction revealed buried sections of the wall near the Barbican. Sections within and near the Tower of London also survive.

Gates Traditionally, London had seven gates, although this is not entirely correct. The original wall had only four gates: Newgate, Ludgate, Aldgate, and Bishopsgate; and the gate of the legionary fort, which is now Cripplegate. Aldergate was a late Roman addition to the wall, possibly to replace one of the gates in the fort. The original Roman names of these gates, and the roads that passed through them, are now lost to history; the names we have now are based on their Anglo-Saxon names. However, traditionally the main intersecting roads of a Roman fort would be called "Cardo" and "Decumanus" so those two names are at least plausible. There were also small pedestrian gates in the wall called "posterns"; one of these remains near Cooper's Row. In the 15th century, a postern in the north side of the wall was expanded to a full gate to create Moorgate. The gates were each a set of

Get in

This walk assumes a start at the Barbican underground station but it can be started at any point. Tower Hill station is the main alternative.

By tube Primary starting point:

1 Barbican tube station. On the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. Note that Barbican does not have step-free entry or exit. The closest station that does is in Farringdon. 2 Farringdon tube station. On the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. Alternative starting point near the Tower of London:

3 Tower Hill tube station. On the Circle and District lines. 4 Tower Gateway station. On the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).

Walk

Barbican Estate Start at 1 Barbican station. Turn right coming out of the station and walk south down Aldersgate Street. At the crossing just after 160 Aldersgate Street, cross the road to the eastern side. Go straight ahead into the 2 archway marked as "Entrance to Museum" (either via the stairs or the lift available at this entrance). Turn left onto John Wesley Highwalk and walk north. At the junction, turn right onto Thomas More Highwalk and walk east. Follow the highwalk as it turns south and then east again. The highwalk becomes Wallside Highwalk after Mountjoy House. As the highwalk first goes above the lake, to your right (south) you can see some of the remains of the London Wall. This part is the west face of the original Roman fort that was incorporated into the wall. Due to maintenance over the centuries, the brickwork here is from the medieval period although it is the same wall in general. The circular constructions are bastions added to the wall in the medieval period. The closest bastion, on the lakeside, is 1 Bastion 12; they are numbered counter-clockwise along the wall from the Tower of London, although few now remain (bastions 13 and 14 will be seen a little later). Further along Wallside Highwalk, on your left (north) side, there is a straight 2 section of wall and the foundations of Bastion 11A. This is part of the north face of the Roman fort. Bastion 11A was not known when they were numbered, only being rediscovered when the Barbican was being built. The church on the other side of the lake is St. Giles without Cripplegate.

3 Barbican Centre. A performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate, the complex that you're walking through. 4 St. Giles-without-Cripplegate. A church has been here since the 11th century. It has been replaced, damaged and rebuilt several times in its history, most recently after World War 2 when it was heavily bomb-damaged and restored to its 1545 condition. At the end of Wallside Highwalk, turn left and walk north along The Postern. At the end of this short highwalk, go back down to ground level (either via the stairs or the lift available just ahead and to the left). Walk west into St. Giles Terrace. The same fra

Eat

For snacks and meals along or near the route:

Drink

If you get thirsty, there are a few places to drink along the route:

1 Ye Olde London, 42 Ludgate Hill, EC4M 7DE, ☏ +44 20 7248-1852. M–Sa 10:00–23:00, Su 10:30–23:00. Built on the site of London Coffee House (1731–1867), in which juries from the Old Bailey were housed overnight if they had not yet reached a verdict. Famous drinkers at the coffee shop include Joseph Priestley and Benjamin Franklin. A Roman altar and a statue of Hercules have also found on this site.

Go next

Keep sightseeing in the City of London Take the London South Bank Walk – a similar style of itinerary on the other side of the Thames Explore other parts of London, like Holborn-Clerkenwell or the East End