In 1958-60 a Roman boat was discovered in what is now almost five metres under the Guy's Cancer Centre. It is 15 metres long and is believed to have sunk, AD 190 - 225, in what is now known as the Guy's Channel - a tributary of the River Thames which existed from the prehistoric to medieval periods.
MOLA provide a summary of their Archaeological evaluation report: "In 1958 and 1960, two portions of a well-preserved carvel-built, Roman sailing barge were uncovered at Guy's Hospital. An unpublished excavation over the site of the southern part of the vessel in 1965, apparently revealed an ex-situ frame. This vessel was abandoned in the Guy's Channel in c AD 190-225, then preserved by burial under moist fluvial sediments (Ships of the Port of Roman London: 1st to 11th C, by Peter Marsden, 1994, p97). In 2010 more of the mid-ships section (part of 4 frames and hull planking) was uncovered, plus evidence of keel planking. This palaeochannel was cut into terrace gravel and originally was connected to the Thames. Over time the channel filled with standing water sediments and by 1746, it had became a series of landlocked pools (Great Maze Pond), which from the 17th C onward were infilled by dumping vast amounts of finds rich domestic rubbish. Maps show that by 1799, the pools had disappeared and that by 1875 Hop Warehouses (serving local breweries) had been constructed over the site; these were destroyed during the Blitz."
