Story of Wandsworth
Roman lives
Roman display
A riverside community
The Romans came to Britain in 43 AD. By the end of the first century Londinium (London) was an established and flourishing city. A network of roads, vital for moving soldiers and supplies around the country, radiated out of London, one of them crossing through Balham and Tooting. Across the region that is now Greater London were scattered Romano-British communities that probably produced most of London's food supplies. Some Roman remains have been found in Wandsworth and Battersea but the only known local settlement was at Putney.
Roman Putney
Archaeological evidence suggests that there was a settlement at Putney throughout the Roman period - from the 1st century AD to the end of the 4th century. It was a small agricultural community, farming the fertile soils on the lower slopes of Putney Hill. A second role may have been to cater for the needs of travellers. A crossing point on the Thames probably existed here in Roman times as it did in later centuries.
