§ MR. BRYCE (Aberdeen, S.)asked the First Commissioner of Works, Whether his attention has been called to the discovery of a large fragment of the ancient Roman Wall of London on a piece of ground acquired by the Government for the purposes of the enlargement of the General Post Office in St. Martin's-le-Grand; and, whether, considering that this is believed to be the largest piece of the Roman Wall of London still in existence, and is in a good state of preservation, he will consider the propriety of preventing it from being either destroyed or so covered up by new buildings as to be no longer visible?
§ THE FIRST COMMISSIONER (Mr. PLUNKET) (Dublin University)In clearing the site for the new Post Office at St. Martin's-le-Grand we came upon what I believe is the best specimen yet discovered of the old Roman Wall of London. On one side its face is covered by a disused graveyard, now made into a recreation ground; the other face was 1229 laid bare by our workmen in preparing the foundations for the new Post Office buildings. Of course, we treated our discovery very carefully, and many parts of the wall (exposed altogether for a length of about 100 feet) are in an excellent state of preservation; in other parts we found that the old wall had in former times been much interfered with, large gaps having been cut through it and brickwork inserted. I have been inquiring how far it will be possible to preserve what remains of the Roman work; and I am glad to say that by a Report which I have to-day received it appears that this can be done by a very slight alteration of the plans of our new buildings, so that the whole of this part of the old Roman Wall shall remain undisturbed and complete as it is to-day, and exposed in sections visible for inspection and study by antiquaries. I shall submit this Report to my right hon. Friend the Postmaster General, and I have no doubt it will meet with his approval.