The fact that London is one of the most forward thinking cities in the world is revealed by the pace at which it is rebuilt. It seems that the city undergoes huge changes at least once a century, replacing the old with the new. Some elements of older periods remain but the skyline is constantly changing due to new domestic, public, and commercial architecture.

It is interesting to see what many of the newer buildings across the capital sit on. The new London HQ for Bloomberg was formerly a 14 storey tower with a podium base. When it was built in the 50s it became the tallest structure in the city and was one of the most cutting edge commercial buildings of the day.

The property, known as Bucklersbury House, was demolished in 2010 even though it had such a wonderful history and was a landmark from the reconstruction period. This shows that in many cases even significant buildings aren’t safe from the constant push to redevelop.

The site of the new Bloomberg HQ does retain an impressive piece of the past though. When Bucklersbury House was being built a team doing excavation found the remains of a Roman temple that dated back to the 3rd Century. This was one of the most significant archaeological finds in London in recent centuries. Alongside the temple around 10,000 artefacts were discovered.

The Temple of Mithras or London Mithraeum was initially removed from the site and rebuilt a short distance away. When Bucklersbury House was demolished plans were put in place to move it back to its original location. This plan encountered some difficulty but Bloomberg committed to the move when they purchased the project.

This takes us up to the current day where the new Bloomberg building is eagerly anticipated. The Mithraeum has been reconstructed in its original location in a new exhibition space built 7 metres beneath the new headquarters. It is due to open to the public again in October 2017 and a selection of the artefacts found on the site will be on display too.

As you can see London has layer upon layers of history, many of which lay dormant ready to be uncovered again in the future. What is clear is that development will continue and the pursuit of modernisation could put older structures at risk of being lost or overshadowed. It is a poignant reminder to appreciate everything while it is there.