Radio Carbon: looking for cover at Lloyds
Ian Blair
The splendid cartoon by Marietta Ryan depicting Brian Hobley in one of the small trenches in the Lloyds Insurance Building (LLO78), was clearly intended to grace the front cover of an issue of Radio Carbon, but sadly was never used.
So, a mere forty-four years on (a mere blink of an eye in archaeological terms!) it finally makes its somewhat belated premiere on Hobley’s Heroes & Digging London.
The Lloyds site supervised by Kevin Flude was unremarkable in terms of the archaeology that was uncovered in the small excavation, for which Kevin has kindly provided the following background:
‘I think you (Marietta), me and Hester worked there, maybe Sandra. To be honest I would only swear to Hester, but I do think you were there. The issue was that this was the very first time that Developers paid towards the archaeology. Previously excavation was paid for by government, DUA, City, GLC etc. But Hobley managed to persuade Lloyds to pay £30,000 for the excavation. So, we dug inside the building before it was demolished, very small excavation, not much to be found because we only had cut features, we found some big Roman post holes, and stuff like a medieval ice skate. We did an on-site exhibition which we curated ourselves and let Lloyds people in. I never was given time to write up for which I will be forever guilty. Somewhere in a box of nostalgia or in my bookcases I have a copy of a Lloyds staff magazine which has a picture or two in it. Which I might be persuaded to search out.
SO ITS A REALLY BIG DEAL THE FIRST DEVELOPER FUNDED EXCAVATION! EVER! POSSIBLY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! (maybe) but certainly in London.’
Going back to the starting point of this post and Marietta’s cartoon, it is evident that the drawing remained unfinished as the black figures at the bottom (who I presume represent shadowy faceless men from Lloyds) had an empty speech bubble waiting to be filled. Suggestions for a caption on a postcard please with the winner invited into MOLA at Eagle Wharf Road to take tea on the ‘Hobley Memorial Sofa’. https://digginglondon.org.uk/the-hobley-memorial-sofa
Lloyds Insurance Building. TQ 3314 8104. (K. Flude).
Excavation so far has concentrated on the cut features. Roman features investigated include early Roman pits predating post-holes. The post-holes consist of two types, 2 of each types having been investigated. The first are aligned E-W and are large square features with no sign of a post-pipe, the second are aligned slightly N of E-W, and contain a square post-pipe. Early medieval pits investigated include a rectangular soak-away, or well, a clay-lined pit, and a presumed rubbish pit containing a bone ice-skate. The latter post-dates a mortar lined feature with a charcoal and ash primary fill, also containing slag, suggesting an industrial use.
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