An office building from the 1930s in the heart of London was about to be demolished and redeveloped by its owners — until archaeologists unearthed remnants of the city’s first Roman basilica in the basement.

Plans to build a 32-storey office block in central London have unearthed the remains of a 2,000-year-old Roman Basilica.

The excavation of the building, which was established under Roman emperor Titus, has so far uncovered sections of stone wall that formed the base of the basilica, which would have been two-and-a-half storeys high.