The Romans built a wall around the city of Londinium in around AD 200 but it fell into disrepair after the Roman occupation of Britain ended in AD 410. The city was abandoned for the next 400 years.

London was re-established inside the city walls in the 9th-century and throughout the medieval period the wall was repaired and strengthened. From the 16th-century onwards, London outgrew its ancient walls and much of it was either knocked down or covered by new buildings. The remains of the wall, hidden inside more modern buildings, were revealed after bombing in the Second World War destroyed large areas of the City of London.

Several sections of city wall have been preserved and are well worth visiting. They give a glimpse back in time to Roman and medieval London. Highlights include:

• Outside Tower Hill Underground station –  the Roman part of the wall is more than  four metres (13 feet) high
• The courtyard of the Grange City Hotel in Cooper’s Row – the windows (loop holes) used by medieval archers can still be seen
• St Alphege Gardens, Wood Street – you can see almost the full height of the medieval wall
• The churchyard of St Giles’ Cripplegate – medieval towers added to the city wall in the 13th-century are still visible
• Museum of London – two medieval towers and a section of city wall, altered in the 19th-century, stand in a garden next to the museum

You can find out more about the ancient city wall on the Museum of London website, or if you’d like to explore the remains of the wall, you can download the London Wall Walk guide.

A guest post by Meriel Jeater, of the Museum of London as part of our Visiting the Past series. More about London’s fascinating history next week.

The Door Oyster Bar & Grill is a new addition to the City’s dining scene. Situated just a few minutes’ walk from Bank Tube station, The Door offers a meaty menu in decadent surroundings. Madelene and I visited for dinner:

Madelene

“As the name suggests, the restaurant’s main specialities are oysters and grilled meat.

“I had the lobster salad starter which was very light and set me in good stead for the large amount of meat I was about to consume.  For my main course, I sampled the Wagyu beef – which is a breed of cattle known for its marbled appearance and tenderness, and it didn’t disappoint: a beautiful steak which melted with every bite.  I asked whether the steak needed mustard and the waiter passionately stated “don’t kill it twice,” so sans-mustard it was!

“There was a good selection of side dishes, including creamed spinach which was simply delicious.  We had to share a dessert as we were both too full to go it alone, but managed to consume a dark chocolate mousse with a light orange biscuit and accompanying dessert wine.”

Jenny

“I took the seafood option at The Door, and tried my first oysters as a pre-starter, which can be ordered and enjoyed at the bar with a glass of champagne if you’re not staying for dinner.

“The waiter brought over a huge oyster-shaped dish filled with ice and three varieties of oysters to sample: Mourne Rock, Kumomoto and Blackwater wild. Each oyster was bigger and tasted stronger than the one before. They were accompanied by a vinegary dressing and the salty sharp flavour really was the taste of the sea (which a friend told me is how good oysters should be).

“Next up was a starter of soft, pan-seared scallops , followed by a rich lobster and truffle risotto, beautifully speckled with little chunks of lobster in each mouthful. It was too rich to finish it all, but delicious all the same.

“The service was excellent and our friendly waiter was happy to advise on the wine list, choice of steak and provide a bit of encouragement when we debated whether to have a dessert!

“The Door Oyster Bar & Grill is a great place for a romantic meal or if you’re treating yourself to a cheeky glass of champagne. With the top steak priced at £42, this is a place I would have to reserve for a special occasion, although there are cheaper options on the menu too.”

The Door Oyster Bar & Grill, 33 Cornhill, EC3V 3ND

This video of last year’s festival highlights, which included dancing, bee-keeping and street pianos, gives a taste of what to expect:

This year’s festival theme is Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

A familiar landscape from a different angle, David Bank shared this photo of the Tower of London with The City in the background with the Visit London Flickr group.

Have you been taking advantage of the light summer evenings to enjoy London at dusk? Share your photos and show us the beautiful things you’ve seen in London.

Last Friday a couple of friends and I wrapped up warm to take the London Ghost Walk. Starting near St Pauls, the walk takes in some of the City’s most haunted spots.

The fact Central London was covered in snow that night added an extra Dickensian dimension to the walk, which took in spooky old pubs, haunted hospitals, creepy churchyards and grisly grounds such as the ex-public hanging spot near Smithfield Market.

Our guide was veteran ghost-hunter Richard Jones. I found his commentary compelling and entertaining, plus he erred nicely on the side of historical and quirky tales, rather than trying to creep us out too much, which, being rather a wuss, I thoroughly appreciated!

The London Ghost Tour is a great way to explore some of the City’s history and at just £8 for nearly 2 hours, it’s a bargain night out in London.

Read our guide to more Haunted London Walks

Following in the footsteps of  The Anthologist, The Folly bar launched in East London last night.  The huge two-floor venue was packed with City workers, who will no doubt be back for more.

The Folly is open seven days a week with a huge range of food available; brunch, sandwiches, sharing plates, and hearty dinners are all on the menu. Taking advantage of its proximity to Borough Market, the ingredients are locally sourced – enjoy a Neal’s Yard cheeseboard or fish of the day.

The new bar offers beers, wines, cocktails (including “skinny” options), sharing punches and “wine flights” should you fancy tasting a few of The Folly’s fine wines.

There’s also a pop-up shop with changing stock – although we didn’t manage to fight our way through the mass of opening-night revellers to take a closer look.

I liked the garden-inspired décor and flattering low lighting. And full marks to the waiters who expertly negotiated the nooks and crannies of The Folly to keep everyone topped up with canapés – wherever we stood or sat, they found us!

Given The Folly’s location, just 10 minutes walk from VL Towers, I’m sure I’ll be returning. I’m very keen to try the Black Forest knickerbocker glory – something you don’t often see on a menu!

The Folly, 41 Gracechurch Street, EC3V 0BT

NB: The Folly is closed this weekend (6-7 Nov) but open for business as usual on Monday 8 November.

Have you ever climbed The Monument? I haven’t been up there since I was about 8, but I still remember all those stairs and the amazing view from the top. The London skyline is always changing so if you haven’t been up there for years, it’s time for another trip!

Nick Garrod shared this photo of the view from the top with the Visit London Flickr pool. Don’t forget to add your photos to the group and tell us your favourite places to get a bird’s eye view of London.

Last night, I attended the launch party of new bar and kitchen The Anthologist, which has popped up near to Bank station.

It’s the latest in a line of new venues to open in The City, encouraging us non-banking types to hang out in the financial centre of London. Last year Kanaloa transported some of the Mahiki magic from Kensington. And there was the recent launch of Proud Cabaret (from the founders of music venue Proud Camden).

The Anthologist bills itself as “an antidote to The City” and it certainly has a different look and feel to many City bars. The venue is huge and lets in plenty of natural light – perfect on a sunny spring evening. There are long wooden benches to sit on, meaning you’ll probably end up sharing with (and perhaps chatting to) strangers. I also loved the gothic-style candelabras on the benches.

The kitchen is open plan, so you can watch the chefs at work. If the canapés are anything to go by, the food is likely to be very tasty. We ate oversized chips, calamari, goats cheese and pesto on toast, and delicious brownies and cookies (which were still warm).

But the best thing about The Anthologist was discovering the VIP room downstairs. We were looking for the ladies, but found a private party room instead!

Despite The Anthologist’s name, we hadn’t seen a single book at this point, but we got something even better – live poetry readings.

We were treated to fantastic poetry from Tamsin Kendrick, Inua “phaze” Ellams (Covent Garden’s Creative-in-Residence), Niall O’Sullivan and Tim Wells. I was particularly delighted to hear a poem about my favourite London bus, the 68! I don’t know if poetry will be a regular thing at The Anthologist, but I’d certainly go back to see more.

The Anthologist, 58 Gresham Street, EC2V