Ghost building

Roman amphitheatre

Roman amphitheatre

Our picture comes courtesy of Google Satellite view. A visit to the Guildhall Art Gallery includes access to the remains of the amphitheatre. It was discovered when the new Art Gallery was being built in 1987 and, being recognised as an Ancient Monument, it was legally protected. This delayed the work on the Art Gallery until 1993. The building was redesigned to incorporate the remains but ingeniously they are effectively suspended inside the basement with two further basements below.

Only discovered in 1987 but the space the amphitheatre occupied had remained an open space for centuries.   Psychogeography gets a bad press nowadays but this could be a real instance of a place having a “memory”.

Site: Guildhall - Roman amphitheatre, plaque, 2 benches (4 memorials)

EC2, Guildhall Yard

Our picture shows the north-east corner of the Yard. The cyclist is in front of the two benches. The plaque is carved on the panel on the building to the left of the benches. You can just see the Whittington statue in the square opening to the right. All the ground in the Yard used to be part of the Roman amphitheatre which is marked with an oval of black stones, not visible in our picture but view this location in Google Maps satellite view and you see it clearly - some people probably claim that it's visible from the moon.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Roman amphitheatre

Subjects commemorated i

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Roman amphitheatre

Also at this site i

Bench - Mayoralty

Bench - Mayoralty

Along the front edge of the bench 10 sets of deviders are carved and along th...

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Bench - United Wards Club

Bench - United Wards Club

{On a bronze plaque embedded in the seat, around a crest:} The United Wards ...

Read More

Guildhall - restored

Guildhall - restored

This east wing of the south front of the Guildhall was restored in 1910 accor...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Priory Church

Priory Church

EC1, Charterhouse Square

Lines laid out in the grass can just be seen in our photo. They indicate what is now thought to be the site of the original Priory Church...

1 subject commemorated
Ghost of old London Bridge

Ghost of old London Bridge

SE1, Tooley Street

To the casual passerby these strips look like the expansion joints one sees on bridges. It was David Brown who drew our attention to what...

1 subject commemorated
St Paul's medieval footprint

St Paul's medieval footprint

EC4, St Paul's Churchyard

The modern information board reads: These gardens are laid out as the footprint of the Chapter House and Cloister of the Medieval Cathedr...

2 subjects commemorated
St Augustine's Church - Victoria Park - ghost building

St Augustine's Church - Victoria Park - ghost building

E9, Victoria Park, near Brookfield Road entrance

When we photographed the stone we did not notice the rectangular clearing around it but this Google Satellite image displays the space we...

1 subject commemorated
St Mary Matfelon

St Mary Matfelon

E1, Altab Ali Park, Whitechapel Road

Our picture comes from Google satellite view and shows, better than can be seen at ground level, the (partial) outlines of the two church...

13 subjects commemorated

Previously viewed

The Krays

The Krays

Twin brothers Ronald "Ronnie" Kray, 24 October 1933 - 17 March 1995, and Reginald "Reggie" Kray, 24 October 1933 - 1 October 2000. Violent East London gangsters with celebrity connections.  Arreste...

Group, Other

1 memorial
Whitehall Palace

Whitehall Palace

The palace covered the area approximately bounded by (clockwise) Northumberland Avenue, Victoria Embankment, Derby Gate, Downing Street, Horse Guards Road, The Mall.  The area was already a centre ...

Building, Property, Royalty

1 memorial
Lord Soper

Lord Soper

EC3, Byward Street

Soper spoke here every Wednesday afternoon from 1927 until 1998, three weeks before his death. There is some film of him here in the 1975...

1 subject commemorated
Jimmy Edwards DFC

Jimmy Edwards DFC

Comedian and comic writer.  Born Barnes.  Achieved national fame as Pa Glum in 'Take It From Here', as the headmaster in 'Whack-O!' and on the radio quiz show that he devised 'Does the Team Think?'...

Person, Humour, TV & Radio

1 memorial
Grimaldi keystone

Grimaldi keystone

N1, Pentonville Road, Grimaldi Park House

Grimaldi's grave is just around the corner, in the churchyard.

1 subject commemorated