London SE1 > News & Features > July 1999

Tudor rubbish dump found on GLA Building site

Work on the site of the Greater London Authority building next to Potters Fields has revealed a rich Tudor rubbish dump. The greatest find is a banana skin which suggests that the fruit may have been landed on Hay's Wharf several centuries earlier than previously believed.

The items have been preserved due to the site being a waterlogged former fish farm rather than a dry field. Pottery tankards and a bottle in a basket may have come from one of the Southwark taverns or a riverside house. The archaeologists are staging a small display of finds, including the banana, at the Museum of London in the City.

Details of the excavations can be found in the Archaeology section of the Museum of London Web site at www.museum-london.org.uk