When County Hall in London was built in 1910, an ancient ship was found buried in the silt.
It was built of Roman design from English oak in around 300 AD, around 2,000 years ago.
The ancient vessel, a remarkable discovery, is believed to have sunk in the battle between Allectus and Constantius.
As one of his royal pᴀssions, Emperor Caligula ordered several large barges to be built to use on Lake Nemi. The two vessels, which were designated in modern times as Prima Nave and Seconda Nave, (First Ship and Second Ship), had dimensions of 70m x 20m (230ft x 66ft) and 73m x 24m (240ft x 79ft) respectively.
While there can be little doubt that the ships were built at the capricious whim of a spendthrift despot, their intended purpose and eventual use have long been the subject of debate by scholars and historians.
Work then began on excavation of the ground, ready for laying a concrete raft on which County Hall would be built.
During the excavation, the significant discovery was made – and to commemorate the event, a booklet was published, providing some history of the construction of County Hall.
The booklet provides a description of how the boat was found:
“The discovery was primarily due to Mr. F.L. Dove, the present chairman of the Establishment Committee
”While inspecting in January 1910, he noticed a dark curved line in the face of the excavation immediately above the virgin soil, and some distance beneath the silt and the Thames mud.
”The workmen engaged suggested that it was a sunken barge, but Mr. Dove realised from its position that it must be of considerable antiquity, and accordingly requested the Council’s official architect to have the soil carefully removed.”
When excavated, it was found to be a Roman boat, constructed out of carved oak.
It was lying 19 feet, 6 inches below high water, and 21 feet 6 inches below the nearby Belvedere Road.
The size of the boat was about 38 feet in length, and 18 feet across.
