Ancient treasures unearthed
The planned move of Hogan Lovells‘ London office could be delayed after a host of Roman artefacts were unearthed at the location of its future building.
Archeological work carried out by Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) has discovered 2,000 years of history underneath 21 Holborn Viaduct, the site that Hogan Lovells had planned to occupy from 2026.
Amongst the finds is the fist complete funeral bed to be found in Britain, described by MOLA as “incredibly rare”. Along with this are five oak coffins, skeletal remains, a glass vial, “high-status” jewellery, and a decorated lamp.
The site, MOLA say, was used as a cemetery during the Roman period between 43-410AD, and again in the 16th century.
Hogan Lovells announced its plans to relocate in February 2022, signing a deal that will see it occupy 266,000 sqft of the new bespoke premises. The new digs are barely a stones throw from the firm’s current home in Atlantic House, also in the Holborn Viaduct.
A spokesperson for the firm said that they were unable to confirm whether the move-in date would be pushed back. However, they did provide us with the following:
“Holborn Viaduct has been part of our heritage for many years and this was an important factor in our decision to stay in this location. We are fascinated to learn we are part of this significant archaeological discovery and we look forward to seeing what new stories emerge about life on this historical site that borders the River Fleet, based on these findings.”
You can find out more above the discoveries here.