
Conversations around the topic of which spots in London are the oldest are always going to be a little bit hazy. Fundamentally because none of us were actually there when the very first pubs, parks, stations, and streets were being built. So, whilst there’s no definitive answer to the question of which street in London is the oldest, we do know that there’s a whole lot of history beneath our feet. And just like plenty of other things that I have next to no factual knowledge about; I’m still going to put my two cents in on the matter. You’re most welcome.
London is bursting at the seams with history. Being one of the oldest cities in the country, many of the capital’s streets do exactly what they say on the tin. Old Street, for example, is an incredibly old street. Old Kent Road is an old road that heads in the direction of Kent. But there’s another ancient street in London that’s also in the running for the title of the oldest – its name just isn’t quite so obvious about it.
Watling Street can be found in the City of London, connecting Queen Victoria Street to St Paul’s Cathedral (and offering a pretty gorgeous view in doing so). But there is, in fact, a whole lot more history to Watling Street than first meets the eye, because it is one of the only remaining sections of a cross-country road that – in its entirety – used to span from the English Channel in Dover to a Roman Fort near Wales.

The history of Watling Street
The original Watling Street stretched for 276 miles, and parts of it are over 2000 years old. It roughly followed the route of the modern day A2, that runs from Dover to London via Old Kent Road, and the A5 that connects London to Shropshire. The only London section of this long, ancient track that has kept its original name is the Watling Street we know today, which now covers a distance of less than 200 metres.
City archeologists are fairly sure that the part of Watling Street that we can still walk down in London to this day was built upon the original Roman road. Other sections of the original Watling Street can supposedly be seen around New Change, Newgate Street, and Old Kent Road. A well-preserved section of the 2000 year-old original Watling Street was recently discovered below Old Kent Road, marking the first piece of physical proof that sections of the road still exist below the current streets of London.
So, is Watling Street London’s oldest street? It certainly could be. But please don’t hold me to it. After all, I wasn’t there when it was built.