In Search of the London Stone

Bill writes: There is an ancient legend regarding the founding of London. After the fall of Troy, Brutus, the great-grandson of Aeneas, liberated a group of Trojans living in poverty in Greece. After sailing from Greece, Brutus and the Trojans wandered, until Brutus one night had a dream. In this vision, the goddess Diana prophesied that he would travel to an island far to the west, where he would build another Troy. There, in the words of Milton, "Kings be born of thee, whose dredded might shall aw the World, and Conquer Nations Bold."

Eventually, he found Albion, where, again according to Milton, "Brutus in a chosen place builds Troia nova (New Troy), chang'd in time to Trinovantum, now London."

Although it may be only a legend, it is possible that one tangible piece of the myth still exists in London: the London Stone, the supposed altar stone of his temple to Diana.

I'd read about this stone and was determined to find it. Unfortunately, it isn't in the British Museum or the Tower of London. After some digging into the documentation, I found that this centerpiece of British mythology is built into the wall of an old bank building across the road from Cannon Street tube station. A thousand people walk past it every hour and never know it's even there. Placed behind glass and iron railings rests this unassuming two-foot stone pillow of oolite limestone.



Although a number of people stopped to watch me taking pictures of the stone, no one I suspect knew of the treasure in the wall, nor the importance of the foundation stone of London history.