Stephenson’s Roundhouse in Context: Excavations at the Stratford Locomotive and Carriage Works, London Borough of Newham

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article explores the findings of a developer-funded archaeological investigation undertaken by Pre-Construct Archaeology at the Eastern Counties Railway’s Stratford Works, Angel Lane, London Borough of Newham. The investigations revealed truncated walls and in situ floor surfaces of terraced housing, as well as an early engine house and associated structures, constructed in accord with a design of Robert Stephenson’s. With a construction date of 1840, it represents an early example of a railway roundhouse, the first in London. In Britain, developer-funded archaeological projects have resulted in the preservation by record of several comparable sites prior to their adaptive reuse or demolition in recent years. As well as contextualising the results of the excavation more generally, this article therefore aims to improve the understanding of the evolution and life-history of the Stratford roundhouse and its environs, as well as British railway roundhouses more generally, via a comparative approach, the ultimate aim being to demonstrate that developments within the excavated sections of the Stratford site fit within a broader architectural, archaeological, and historical narrative.