Marks Gate Under Thames revealed.

A team of archaeologists excavating at Marks Gate have discovered the area was once under The River Thames.

The discovery by Peter Vellet, Senior Archaeology Consultant for ADAS, the team carrying out the archaeological dig, was revealed in a You Tube interview with Nick Williams of Be First yesterday.

The interview was part of a bid to explain to residents why the team was carrying out the dig before wider works to build new affordable homes start in the area.

Peter explained how excavations have helped the team understand the history of the soil structure, including the fact that Marks Gate had once been submerged beneath the ancient River Thames.

He said: “The landscape and the environment has changed dramatically. And believe it or not the gravel [we found] belongs to the River Thames, which might come as a surprise given how far the Thames is from Marks Gate now.”

Alongside the Thames revelations, the team has also unearthed a pottery fragment in one of the evaluation trenches which was dated by a specialist to between the mid-11th and 12th century. 

But there was no evidence of any settlement there at that time, he added, though a community was known to exist in nearby Romford. 

The excavations are nearing completion and the findings will be reported and stored in local archives.  Contractors working for Be First will restore and reopen the area as soon as possible.

You can see the video interview at: https://yourcall.befirst.london/Marks-Gate/widgets/12533/videos/1945