The Mint Wall

The Mint Wall:

The Mint Wall is an extremely rare survival in Britain of a non-defensive Roman wall still standing to an impressive height above ground.

The Mint wall was part of the outer wall of the basilica ,or hall, which in turn formed the northern range of the forum complex. The wall lies in line with the most northerly column of the colonnade, which fronted the east side of the forum.

Dating from the late 2nd to early 3rd century, the fragment is about 23 metres in length and about 7 metres above today's street level. About 2 metres is now buried below ground.

At vertical intervals, there are decorative tile courses, which also served to reinforce the wall. Putlog holes can be seen, which support the scaffolding while the wall was under construction. The pantile coping was added in 1992.

A tessellated pavement was found immediately south of the wall in the 1850's. It is now believed to have been part of the internal floor of the basilica.

William Stukeley, an 18th - century antiquarian from Lincolnshire, belived a mint had existed here and named this the Mint Wall on his 1720's map of Lincoln. The name has stuck ever since, even though it has subsequently been proved to be erroneous.