Visiting the London Mithraeum

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When we had a weekend in London at Easter we spent some time looking for free and low cost things to do in the area we were staying – the City of London. One thing we stumbled across was the London Mithraeum, a fantastic free attraction that is a must for any history fan or anyone looking for something different to do.

Where is the London Mithraeum?

The London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE is situated on the site of Bloomberg’s European headquarters in the heart of the City of London. It’s easily accessible thanks to London’s great transport network and is just a stone’s throw from both Mansion house and Cannon Street tube stations.

What is the London Mithraeum?

The London Mithraeum is one of the UK’s most significant archaeological sites, returning the Roman Temple of Mithras to the location of its discovery in the heart of the City. The attraction showcases the ancient temple along with a selection of the Roman artefacts found during the temple’s excavation.

We visited the London Mithraeum in the middle of a packed day in London exploring the City of London sights. We found the London Mithraeum easily although it just looks like another office from outside rather than a piece of iconic Roman history!

The London Mithraeum is free to visit however booking is advised to guarantee entry. We had booked tickets online but ended up being a couple of hours early and were able to visit without any issues.

However, it was only when we turned up that we found out that the Roman Temple of Mithras is only accessible during a show which runs roughly every twenty minutes. This meant we had a while to wait before the next show would start – so we spent this time exploring the rest of the London Mithraeum attraction.

Room with All Existing Words

The reception area of the London Mithraeum showcases a series of contemporary art commissions, responding to and bringing fresh perspective to the history of the site. The artworks viewed on rotation, with different ones being on display at any time. When we visited we were met with Room with All Existing Words by Mark Manders.

Room with All Existing Words is a space poised between past and present. It features a large sculpture made up of different elements including a human head. Alongside the sculpture, there’s also a newspaper containing every word in the English language, arranged at random, and a postcard. It’s an interesting art installation and a nice introduction to the London Mithraeum space.

The artefacts

Next, we were met with artefacts found during the London Mithraeum excavation. Undertaken between 2012 and 2014, the excavation was one of the most extensive to take place in London and uncovered more than 14,000 individual artefacts, including 63,000 sherds of Roman pottery and three tonnes of animal bone!

Each object on display tells a story and was made, handled, treasured, worn, consumed, lost or discarded by someone from Roman Londinium. This compact display really wowed us. We were in awe of the sheer amount of history in that one display case, with everything having been found beneath our feet.

Temple of Mithras

We then ventured downstairs to the depths of the building, home to the Temple of Mithras. This is mainly a waiting room but does have some interactive screens to use to learn more about Roman London, the temple and artefacts that were found on the site. This helped to keep the children entertained and engaged whilst we waited for our show time to begin.

Before long it was time to filter into the Temple of Mithras room, standing along the sides of what was once an incredible temple. At this point we didn’t know what to expect – we knew nothing about the London Mithraeum before visiting and we were blown away!

As soon as the show started we were able to see and experience the reconstructed remains of the Temple of Mithras in such a fresh, modern way. Using lights, sounds and an intriguing haze, the temple is brought to life in front of your eyes.

The show helps to capture the mystery and intrigue of the Roman cult of Mithras, who used to meet on this site. It’s full of footsteps, chanting and secret whispers that really do transport you back to London AD 240.

It was fantastic to see the Temple of Mithras for ourselves and although we couldn’t take photos during the show we had time afterwards to explore the space with the lights on and take photos. After this we were shown out, back up the stairs the way we had entered, and then could either continue to look at the artwork and artefacts on display of end our visit. There are also toilets on site.

We really loved seeing the London Mithraeum for ourselves and it’s definitely something we would recommend anyone else to visit if they find themselves in the City of London with an hour to pass. There’s not much that you can do for free nowadays – and definitely not much as cool as seeing a glimpse of Roman London recreated in front of you. It’s a fantastic experience.

You can find out more about the London Mithraeum over on their website and for reference the address is: 12 Walbrook, London EC4N 8AA

If you’re looking for more things to do in London, these articles might help:

Visiting the London Mithraeum

Where is the London Mithraeum?

What is the London Mithraeum?