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London Roman Amphitheatre
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Gallery
- Name
- London Roman Amphitheatre
- Continent
- EUROPE
- Alt Name:
- -
- Country:
- United Kingdom
- Period:
- Ancient Rome
- Sub-Region:
- -
- Date:
- 0AD - 99AD
- City/Town:
- London
- Figure:
- -
- Resorts:
- London,
- Related:
- London Roman Fort, London Roman Wall,
Museum of London, British Museum,
about London Roman Amphitheatre
The London Roman Amphitheatre was discovered in 1988 and remains the only known Roman amphitheatre in the city. Believed to have first been built in 74 AD, the London Roman Amphitheatre was probably extensively renovated in the second century, in around 120 AD.
At its peak, the London Roman Amphitheatre would have been able to seat up to 6,000 spectators and would probably have hosted brutal gladiatorial matches. At this time, London - then Londinium - had a population of some 20,000 to 30,000 people.
Today, visitors can see the remains of some of the walls of London Roman Amphitheatre, some original wooden drains and two small chambers which might have functioned as the waiting rooms for the gladiators or even the wild beasts that performed in the arena.
Once a month, the curator of the London Roman Amphitheatre hosts a guided tour of the site. Otherwise, it is part of the Guildhall Art Gallery and entry to the site is included in the gallery ticket.
Just as empires rise and fall so do entry fees and opening hours! While we work as hard as we can to ensure the information provided here about London Roman Amphitheatre is as accurate as possible, the changing nature of certain elements mean we can't absolutely guarantee that these details won't become a thing of the past. If you know of any information on this page that needs updating you can add a comment above or now.
contact details
Address: Guildhall Yard, London EC2P 2EJ
Phone: +44 (0)20 78145777
E-Mail: info@museumoflondon.org.uk
useful information
Directions:
Nearest underground: Bank (Northern, Waterloo and City, Central lines) and St Paul’s (Central line).
Bus 710 stops nearby.
Ticket Information:
Open daily, 10am-5pm (noon-4pm Sundays).
Last entry half an hour before closing.
Entry included in ticket to Guildhall Art Gallery (£2.50 full, £1 reduced. Free after 3.30pm, on Fridays for all and always for kids).
Links:
http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Leisure_and_culture/Museums_and_galleries/Guildhall_Art_Gallery/ampitheatre.htm
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/Collections/OnlineResources/Londinium/analysis/publiclife/structures/17 Amphi.htm
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USER COMMENTS
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When we heard that London had an amphitheatre, we couldn't believe it so we went to the Guildhall to see it for ourselves. Sadly, there's very little left of this site and it's in a dark underground room, but they've made the most of what's there. You can see the ruins of where they think the animals were once kept (or it may have been a guard room). You can also see some drains and you can just about imagine it being one of the entrances to a great theatre, but unfortunately it doesn't compare to other Roman sites. This is one for hardcore history fans only.