Bucklersbury House, Queen Victoria Street 1972

A 1970s colour photo of the Roman Temple of Mithras remains situated in front of Bucklersbury House on Queen Victoria Street during the latter half of the 20th century. In the foreground, a white Hillman Avenger saloon with the registration DLW 607J travels along the street. The low stone walls of the temple, which were famously excavated in 1954 and relocated to this raised concrete platform in the early 1960s, are visible behind a simple metal railing. A woman in a white coat and several other pedestrians walk along the pavement in front of the modern glass-fronted office block, which features balconies decorated with flower boxes. The site includes a small black directional sign pointing toward the “Temple of Mithras,” marking one of the City of London’s most significant archaeological discoveries. While the office building seen here was demolished in 2010, the temple ruins have since been returned to their original discovery site beneath the new Bloomberg London building. For more images of the capital, please visit our main London page where photos are organised by decade or area and theme.