Overall          2 **   Only foundations and drains survive

Display         5 *****  Brilliant trompe l’oeil display, v.g. guide book

Access           5 *****  Free and accessible in underneath Guildhall Art Gallery

Atmosphere 3 ***   You can get a real feeling for what it looked like

Other             4 **** A key discovery for Londonium as provincial capital

The amphitheatre of Londinium, the capital of the Province of Britannia, was discovered relatively recently in 1988, and opened amidst much gladiatorial hoopla in 2002.  The entrance is from the basement of the new Guildhall Art Museum into an underground gallery beneath the plaza in front of the Guildhall.

The east gate and adjoining walls are on display, with a stunning backdrop of fluorescent green to represent the seating tiers and human figures suggested by geometrical surfaces – very modern but it works well!

The first amphitheatre was constructed in AD 74 and built of wood.  It was about the size of Wembley Stadium and seated nearly 7,000 spectators, it is calculated.  Around AD 120 and the visit of that Imperial Improver Hadrian, the amphitheatre was expanded with ragstone walls 2.5m high around the arena and additional seating up to accommodate, it is suggested, some 10,500 spectators.  That’s two Royal Albert Halls!

The walls on the arena were covered in pink plaster and costly imported marbles have been found, no doubt for the VIP boxes.  A large quantity of Samian ware was also found, some of it official souvenirs with gladiators fighting, and other fine dining ware.  Apparently, those putting on the games could dine with the gladiators – a grisly Roman twist on the corporate box at Wembley!

Magnificent jointed woodwork of drains and entrances has survived in the wet conditions, shedding light on Roman woodworking techniques.  Many coins, hair pins and even a gold necklace were found, so clearly women were in the audiences.

The amphitheatre fell into disuse in the second half of the fourth century.

We can but speculate on the scenes it saw of gladiator fights and exotic animal ‘hunts’, of executions and martyrdoms.

There is an excellent guidebook in the bookshop which sets out the context of the amphitheatre within Roman London, Roman Britain and other amphitheatres in the Empire.

This site is a tough one to rate since there is actually not that much preserved, although what there is is interesting, especially the wooden drain.  The display is excellent.