´óÏó´«Ã½

This is a group of objects, including pins, a needle, an ear cleaner and a bobbin which were picked up by my great grandfather, Hugh Allen, in the early years of the 20th century. On his walk to work from London Bridge station, he would pass the great excavations being undertaken in the city of London, as the the ancient and chaotic environment was being demolished to make way for the grand and pompous City we know today. He never failed to stop and ask the workmen if they had found anything interesting while they were digging, and would rummage through the spoil heaps at the side of the road, just in case. I think these came from the site of the new Bank of England. He thought they were Roman, mainly, and has labelled them up neatly on a piece of card. They remind us of the constant changes we work in our cities, and the fact that amateur archaeology is not such a new phenomenon.