Bermondsey Square Regeneration

Looking east - showing archaeologists cleaning part of the south tower of the western entrance to the Abbey Church.

Looking east - to the right is a medieval wall, which ran from the area of the Inner Gateway to the church enclosing the inner precinct of the Abbey. A later chalk lined post-medieval well can be seen in the foreground.

Looking east - showing the substantial medieval and early post-medieval remains uncovered in the north-east part of the Square. These included part of the south tower of the western facade of the Abbey church, the main south wall of the church and in the background cellars that were part of the 16th century 'mansion'. This incorporated and therfore preserved, parts of the Abbey within its construction.

These brass studs are all that remain of 18th century timber coffins

A skeleton lying within the remains of a timber coffin. The human remains shown in photos 5 and 6 are probably part of an 18th century dissenter's graveyard located on the western side of the Square. All of the post-medieval inhumations will be exhumed prior to development in accordance with the Burial Act and all will be re-interred at a later date.

Archaeologists cleaning medieval chalk foundations on the western side of the Square. These remains are probably part of a range of buildings that would have stood against the precinct boundary wall running along the east side of Bermondsey Street.

Showing one of the many pile locations excavated by to a depth of c. 3.50m below modern ground level. Note the post-medieval chalk lined well and the modern sewer pipe in the foreground.

A working shot of archaeologists starting to excavate pile positions along the northern frontage of the Square. Note the antiques market still trading in the background.

Archaeologists excavating medieval chalk lined cist tombs.

An archaeologist cleaning a medieval stone 'ashlar' block reused in a later post-medieval wall. Note the graffiti scored on to the face of the stone. The original position of the stone within the abbey is not known. It was found reused in a post-medieval wall in the south side of the nave; this formed part of the northern wing of the 16th century mansion of Sir Thomas Pope, a building that in part survived as tenements into the late 18th or early 19th centuries.

The graffito on this stone block shows a helm, shield and sword. Parallels in medieval armour suggest the carving dates from the late 14th century. It probably intends to depict the characteristic "great" helm of that period, furnished with plumage or a crest. The sword, which is placed behind the shield, is probably a single-edged falchion. Armorial graffiti is not unusual in medieval churches, and sets of shields and helms form one of the main recurring themes of these carvings. Shields are usually charged with personal devices, but the simple saltire on the Bermondsey shield is far too general a device to suggest a coat of arms; it may be that it was intended simply as a symbolic representation.

Anglo-Saxon hooked tag.
The tag is made of thin triangular copper-alloy plate, and decorated with a circle-and-dot pattern. This object was used to fasten clothes and accessories such as bags and purses. The sharp hooks on these tags suggest they were hooked straight into the material rather than used in conjunction with a corresponding "eye". The hooked tag is a characteristic Middle to Late Saxon dress accessory, ranging in date from the 7th and through to the 11th centuries. At Bermondsey, the tag was found together with two sherds of pottery, dating broadly from the 10th to 11th centuries; however, very similar hooked tags are known from Middle Saxon sites at Southampton and York. This is an important find, as Bermondsey is known from documentary sources as the site of a Middle Saxon Minster.

Carved stone head
The stone carries the carving of a female face alongside a section of squared moulding. The carving appears to be Romanesque in style (though there is also a resemblance to the fourteenth-century Decorative period). The human face is somewhat unusual in the Romanesque context, as much of the decoration used in this period in England was foliate or geometrical. The main exceptions were external; doorways, tympana and corbel-tables. However, this stone does not appear to be from any of these contexts, as the lack of weathering suggests that it was part of an internal feature. It is likely that the stone marked the springing point of an arch, or was a decorative label-stop. The arch which it decorated may have framed a doorway or window, or been incorporated into arcading. It is likely that it was one of the latter two, as the carving is relatively small-scale. The mouth of the carving has been damaged. Although it is unclear at what point this damage occurred, it is interesting to note that destruction of the mouth and/or eyes of carvings and paintings of saints was a common tactic used by sixteenth-century Protestant reformers in order to destroy the power and value of 'idolatrous' images.

Stairs leading down into a cellar, part of Sir Thomas Pope's 'mansion'. Incorporated into the construction of these stairs but not visible was the carved stone head.

Looking west - in the foreground archaeologists at work within the cellar of Pope's 'mansion'. The main south wall of the church is to the right and the south tower of the western facade of the church is in the far background.

Gargoyle set into the foundation of the tower. The stone carries a piece of figural sculpture, representing what appears to be a human head or face. It is crudely carved, with skull-like teeth and no discernable nose (although this 'sheared-off effect may have been created by a mason's mistake or later damage). The shape and style of the face suggest a 12th-century date, though it is possible that the carving is earlier. The location of the carved stone within the tower foundations is curious, and may represent either re-use of earlier masonry (thus giving the stone a pre-C12th date), use of reject carvings for building material in out-of-sight locations (making the stone contemporary with the tower's construction) or the deliberate creation and placement of a carving within the foundations during the construction of the tower, possibly as an amulet against demons or other evil influences. Such practices were common during the C12th and remained so until the Reformation.