London Stone

This is perhaps one of London’s best-kept secrets, a prehistoric standing stone right in the heart of the city. It is correctly known as London Stone not the London Stone, as it has been venerated for so long. There are some who say that it is medieval but the Elizabethan historian John Stow thought it so old that no one knew who had put it there and what it was for. It has been suggested that it was a Roman-mile stone, this is however is unlikely as a Roman stone would certainly have had inscriptions and be similar in form to other roman mile-stones.

Others say that Prince Brutus the (legendary) founder of London had it put there, in which case it is supposed to be from somewhere exotic and it ought to be possible for geologists to work out its origins.

It now stands in the side of a sports shop in Cannon Street near Cannon Street Station, which before the blitz was Saint Swithens church. It sits in a small alcove and has been described as being the size of a television but was originally much bigger and was in the centre of the road. If Rome had its seven hills then London only had two and the stone is placed at the top of the eastern hill

Some say it is earlier than this and it was originally a prehistoric standing stone. There is no reason why this should not be the case they are relatively common in Britain. However, it is known that it was fixed to the ground with iron but this might be a later repair. If it is prehistoric i.e. Stone Age then it was either a standing stone which was used a meeting place for assemblies or it was the index stone of a stone circle that originally stood where Saint Paul’s is now.

this is what E.O. Gordon has to say about the stone -

Stow [an Elizabethan historian] describes London Stone as '' standing in Walbrook, on the south side of this High Street, neere unto the Channell, is pitched upright a great stone called London Stone, fixed in the ground very deep, fastened with bars of iron, and otherwise so stronlglie set that if cartes do runne against it through negligence the wheeles be broken, and the stone itself unshaken. The cause why this stone was there set, the verie time when, or other mermorie thereof, is there none. " London Stone is mentioned as early as the time of Athelstane, King of the West Saxons, without any positive reference to its having been considered a Roman Military stone. We hear of London Stone in the time of Richard II when Jack Cade struck his sword on it. The act was meant to give solemn assurance to the people of his rude fidelity.