Archaeologists have found 7,000-year-old timber piles on the banks of the Thames in central London, indicating that ancient peoples built substantial structures in the area.
The discovery, by archaeologists taking part in t he London Discovery programme, is right outside the headquarters of MI6, the UK security service.
According to a report in The Guardian newspaper, the timbers have been eroded by the flow of the river, but the largest is still 30cm in diameter.
Carbon dating evidence, just published in t he London Archaeologist journal, shows that it was felled between 4790 BC and 4490 BC.
It is thought that whatever building the piles supported, it was further back on the shore, as 7,000 years ago the Thames was narrower.
The archaeologists said the discovery had led them to revise their views of the people of the period. It was assumed they were nomadic hunter gatherers. The piles indicate that they put down roots in the area in some form of permanent settlement.
