London Stone

Take a look at that block of grey stone behind the glass. It looks like a lump of rubble, but it's one of the most enigmatic objects in London. It's called London Stone and it has appeared in the records since around 1100, when a local man was identified as ‘Eadwaker at London Stone’. Even then it was a landmark well enough known to serve as an address.

1A rebel and his sword

In July 1450, Jack Cade marched into London at the head of a revolt against Henry VI's government. According to the chroniclers, he struck the stone with his sword and declared himself lord of the city. Shakespeare put the scene on stage in “Henry VI”. Nobody knows why he chose this block: perhaps it already carried symbolic weight.

2The invented prophecy

What nobody knows is where it came from. It has been called a Roman milestone, a druid altar or the stone brought by Brutus of Troy, the mythical founder of Britain. In 1862 a supposedly ancient proverb appeared in a magazine: so long as the Stone of Brutus is safe, London will flourish. Historians believe it was invented by the writer himself, the Welsh clergyman Richard Williams Morgan, because it appears in no earlier text.

The stone has existed for more than nine centuries; the prophecy only since 1862.

While the building was being redeveloped, between 2016 and 2018, the stone was displayed at the Museum of London. It came back here in October 2018.

3What to look for

• The marks on its surface: it's oolitic limestone, worn by centuries of use.
• The carved letters “LONDON STONE” and the two black plaques either side.
• The plaque summing up the theories about its origin.