The London Mithraeum, discovered in 1954 under the bombed out ruins of London and now rebuilt to give you a "memorable, powerful and authentic experience."

Your first view of the London Mithraeum. The London Mithraeum was built 1800 years ago by the Romans and dedicated to the god, Mithras and reopened in December 2018. In 1952 a small section of a Roman building was discovered and on the last day of the dig in 1954 its function was confirmed as a temple devoted to the God Mithras. The evidence on that last day was a sculpted head of Mythras. There was a huge amount of interest in the press and thousands queued for hours to take a look at the remains. All the remains were then put in storage until the new office block was completed. In 1962, the reconstructed temple was opened to the public and they, once again, flocked in to see it. Unfortunately, the reconstruction was built 100 yards from the original site and there were several other things wrong with it. It had been re-orientated to be north-south whereas it should have been east-west. It was originally constructed partly below ground and was dark and windowless but was now all above ground. The original design was to symbolise that Mithras killed a bull within a cave and so had to be fairly dark unlike the reconstruction. Added to this, the floor paving was wrong, several other architectural features had been ignored and the cement mortar was modern.

Above. The sculpture of Mithras, found on the last day of the original dig. It is now to be found in the Museum of London.

The story now moves forward to 2010 when Bloombergs, the financial information company, bought the site to build its new European headquarters. One of the clauses in the granting of planning permission was that the temple site be “re-imagined” as well as protected. One of the aims of the new reconstruction was that it should evoke the experience of being in a mithraeum as well as being in its original position with east-west orientation. The actual design brief stated “to create a memorable, powerful and authentic experience.” The excavation that took place between 2012-2014 discovered more than 14 000 artefacts, together with 63 000 pieces of pottery and 3 tonnes of animal bones. This together with the original finds means that this was has become a highly important site in the history of London. Over 400 pieces of writing tablets have been found and this includes the first known reference to London and the earliest hand written document.

The temple was first built around 240-250AD and was eventually abandoned in about 380AD. Mithraic initiates were required to swear an oath of secrecy and dedication. Followers could rise through 7 different grades or ranks and this was symbolised by 7 columns down each side of the building, a feature borne out by the careful lighting today. Some experts state that the birthday of Mithras was celebrated on December 25th but other experts refute this, stating this was a general festival of the Sun and there were no specific public ceremonies. Unfortunately, their oath of secrecy meant that we have little actual evidence about their rituals and beliefs.Other gods were often represented in Mithraeums and Mithraism was not seen as an alternative to the Roman Empire’s traditional religions.

We would recommend a visit to the Museum of London, which is within walking distance, to see some of the sculptures retrieved from the archaeological dig.

Above a case of 600 finds from the excavations.

Above and below. On entering the building, the first thing you see, after checking in, is a large display of Roman artefacts that were discovered when they excavated the Mithraeum. In the display cabinet, there was a surprising number of shoes and sandals, artefacts that one would think, would have completely decayed after nearly 2000 years but the wet conditions and lack of oxygen prevented bacteria from destroying them.

In the display cabinet, there is a bull badge. It is believed that this probably represents the astrological sign Taurus, dated pre-Mithraeum. However, the bull is a key figure in Mithraeums and in many Roman religions.

Above. The display cabinet also has a beautiful piece of Samianware. It shows gladiators fighting or at least practising.

Above. A beautiful pot in excellent condition, probably for storing food.

Above, a re-usable writing tablet. Molten wax was poured into each tray and left to harden. A stylus that looks like a large pin then scratches out words and sentences in the wax. When the information is redundant, the wax is melted and the process happens all over again.

Above. Spearheads.

Above. Mithras killing a bull. Now found in the Museum of London, a few hundreds yards from the Bloomberg building.

Below. Neptune or another god associated with water. Both of these cultures were found buried beneath the floor of the temple. Now found in the Museum of London, a few hundreds yards from the Bloomberg building.

Essential Information.

 

Getting there.

London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE is located in the heart of the City of London, with many transport options available to visitors.

12 Walbrook,
London, EC4N 8AA

Public transport

Tube

Bank station (2-minute walk)
St Paul’s (6-minute walk)
Mansion House (6-minute walk)

Train

Cannon Street (1-minute walk)
Liverpool Street (14-minute walk)
Blackfriars (12-minute walk)
London Bridge (18-minute walk)

Parking

We are in the congestion charge zone with limited car parking options. We encourage visitors to travel by public transport.

Disabled parking

City of London Corporation offers a map of designated disabled parking bays in the area.

Accessibility

Wheelchair-accessible throughout, offering a range of services for visitors with disabilities.

General access

Step-free access is available to all floors of the building via lifts.
Assistance animals are welcome.
Folding seats are available to borrow.

Visual access

Large print materials.
Magnifying glasses and digital guides with ‘Vision Accessibility’ settings.
Torches for low-light areas.

Hearing access

For the hard of hearing, printed information is available to accompany audio sections of the space.

For further information or to discuss how we might best cater to your specific needs, please contact us on info@londonmithraeum.com or +44 207 330 7500.

Please note: The temple viewing experience has low light levels and also includes lighting effects, mist and sound.

Booking

The London Mithraem have implemented measures taking into account Government guidance to help ensure a safe and enjoyable visit.

• Reduced capacity to allow for social distancing.

• To guarantee entry, we would encourage visitors to book a free ticket in advance to ensure they’re able to visit the museum during their chosen timeslot.

• Following recent Government guidance, NHS Test and Trace will no longer be a legal requirement upon entry to the museum. However, we will continue to display QR codes for customers to check-in using the NHS COVID-19 app and encourage visitors to use the app when visiting.

• Please book a maximum of 10 tickets per booking.

• For groups larger than ten, please book additional tickets as required. You will be admitted in groups of ten.

To book tickets click here