The school is located just to the south of Old Street in Islington which itself is presumed to have a prehistoric and Roman antecedent. In medieval times the area was marginal land outside the City, and in the 18th century was developed with residential and commercial buildings. A school has stood on the site since the 1860s. The project involved two phases of work, with demolition of older school buildings and the construction of a new basemented building.

PCA London was initially involved in monitoring engineering test pits which revealed that the former Whitfield Tabernacle building, part of the school since 1974, had been constructed using the basement foundations of an earlier building.

Subsequent open excavations, which commenced in 2021, reached a depth of 3.6m below the ground level and were ‘stepped’ to ensure safety.

No medieval or earlier findings were made, but clay tobacco pipe fragments, and pottery sherds dating from the 16th to early 19th century were found. Among the 19th-century finds was an encaustic floor tile imitating a medieval design which almost certainly originated from the school and was manufactured by William Godwin, in Hertfordshire as evidenced by the partial stamp on the reverse ‘-W GOD…

The finds assemblage demonstrated that the areas was open undeveloped land until building in the area began in the 18th century.

Public outreach during the excavations consisted of updates to the school and a report was produced to satisfy planning conditions.