PCA undertook several phases of archaeological investigation in and around Bermondsey Square, the historic core of the medieval Bermondsey Abbey, between 1998 and 2011. Despite being registered as a Scheduled Ancient Monument within a Conservation Area defined by the London Borough of Southwark, it was possible to reveal, record and protect the solid archaeology and build new structures to enhance the area.
With English Heritage on board for the concept of the redevelopment of the site, Southwark Council undertook an architectural competition in 1998 to design a suitable scheme. This competition was supported by the results of an archaeological evaluation conducted by PCA aimed at guiding the foundation design process. The project demanded a versatile engineering approach from the beginning, one that prioritized the preservation of in situ archaeological remains, minimized disturbances to those remains, and remained adaptable to unforeseen discoveries inherent to such a site. Click here to read more about the methodology applied to the site.
Amongst our findings was evidence for the elusive Saxon ‘minster’, and the Norman and later medieval Cluniac priory (later Benedictine Abbey) church and cloisters, including the southwest flanking tower of the western entrance to the great abbey church.
View of excavations at Bermondsey: in the foreground, the south flanking tower at the western entrance to the abbey church; behind this, the arched structure is a late medieval well. The kitchen basement of the 16th-century ‘mansion’ built by Sir Thomas Pope, the founder of Trinity College, Oxford, is visible in the background.
The suggestion that Bermondsey may have been the site of a minster in the middle Saxon period is prompted by a reference in the Liber Niger of Peterborough, in which Pope Constantine addresses Haedda as abbot of Vermundsei. Tantalisingly incomplete wall foundations may be the first archaeological remains associated with the minster. Among the fragmentary walls and foundations discovered, those of an east-west oriented building or buildings hinted at the existence of a middle Saxon minster. Notably, disarticulated human bones found in the area, considered residual material, might point to a disturbed middle Saxon cemetery, a theory supported by the artefacts recovered in the vicinity. Many of the bones displayed evidence of sharp and blunt force trauma. While it’s plausible that Viking raids in the mid-ninth century led to the minster’s decline, a definitive link to the Bermondsey human bones remains unproven.
Settlement continued into the late Saxon period the site was a Royal manor with its own church, before the Cluniac Priory of St Saviour’s was founded in 1089.
The 13th and 14th centuries were challenging times for the priory, marked by economic mismanagement, political turmoil, and flooding. However, this was also a time of growth and reconstruction, resulting in the expansive complex depicted in this plan. In the late 14th century, there was a revival in the priory’s economic fortunes, leading to gradual improvements in its financial stability throughout the 15th century. However, during this time, the religious community began to decline.
At the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII, the abbey was forcibly surrendered by the last abbot to the crown on 1st January 1538. The process of demolishing and salvaging the monastic buildings may have begun almost immediately and probably proceeded at some speed, although the exact duration remains uncertain. On May 1, 1539, the former monastery site came into the possession of Robert Southwell, with some abbey buildings excluded from the lease, earmarked for demolition and removal. However, in 1541, Southwell acquired the entire site, including all remaining structures, and subsequently sold it to Sir Thomas Pope. As noted by Stow, “the Abbey church was then pulled down by Sir Thomas Pope, knight, and in its place, a splendid house was constructed using stone and timber.“
Looking west at the remains of the north wing of Pope’s mansion.
Sir Thomas Pope’s conversion of Bermondsey Abbey into a private residence is part of a broader trend of monastic sites being transformed into country houses by influential courtiers during Henry VIII’s reign. Another notable example is Sir Richard Rich’s conversion of the Augustinian Leez Priory in Essex. Pope, it seems, was associated with a group of court officials who specialized in acquiring former monasteries and turning them into country estates. They often employed the same team of demolition workers and builders for their property ventures.
Excavations revealed that Pope’s mansion’s main wing was built between the south wall of the former church and the foundations of the former cloister arcade. This wing of the courtyard house measured approximately 42m in length from east to west. It featured at least 11 rooms arranged in two rows, separated by an internal east-west wall, with the north-side rooms being slightly larger. Some of the central north rooms had basements. The archaeological remains can be compared a survey undertaken by John Buckler’s which survives as a series of 40 drawings showing the remains of the mansion in about 1800.
Buckler’s survey suggests that the northern range and the north part of west wing of Bermondsey House remained standing throughout the 18th century. This was confirmed by the archaeological excavation, which found that the remnants of Pope’s mansion had been subdivided into separate properties which, though in a ramshackle state, continued to be occupied. The industrial revolution transformed Bermondsey into a bustling industrial area with warehouses and factories. The square played a role in this industrial activity, housing various businesses. Bermondsey market (new Caledonian Market) opened in Bermondsey Square in 1950 when the Old Caledonian market in Islington was closed down for redevelopment. In the latter part of the 20th century, Bermondsey Square experienced a decline as many of the industrial businesses closed down. However, in the early 2000s, the area underwent a significant regeneration effort, leading to the exciting archaeological discoveries discussed here. Today, Bermondsey Square stands as a successful example of urban regeneration, offering a mix of history, culture, dining, and residential living. It has transformed from an industrial area into a vibrant, multifaceted space that contributes to the character of Bermondsey and the broader London landscape.
Bermondsey Square today.
Key finds
The middle Saxon small finds from Bermondsey Square add greatly to the handful of finds from previous excavations at Bermondsey, which had included four Saxon strap ends with zoomorphic decoration, bun-shaped loom weights, antler combs and a continental glass vessel that may be 8th century. Both assemblages included silver pennies, or sceattas, produced from the late seventh century until around AD 750, taking the total number of sceattas found in the area up to seven.
The material assemblage from Bermondsey is perhaps characteristic of what might be found at a minster, including dress fastenings such as the hooked tags as well as tweezers, coins and the unique stone lamp. An iron padlock and hasp suggest that some individuals in the community had valuable possessions that they needed to keep safe.
An early 14th century sculpted stone block, originally part of an ecclesiastical building, was incorporated into the cellar steps of the 16th-century mansion after the dissolution of the abbey. This may have been when the damage to the nose and mouth occurred. Equally, this damage may have been administered by iconoclasts at the dissolution, before the stone was used for a non-religious and practical purpose.
Our Bermondsey Square monograph will be available soon. In the meantime, click below to see site supervisor Alistair Douglas summarise evidence from excavations at Bermondsey Abbey and present his ongoing research into its Saxon foundation as a Minster and development as a Cluniac church.
