A discovery underneath the basement of an office block has been described as one of the most important pieces of Roman history unearthed in the city of London. Archaeologists have found a substantial piece of the ancient city's first basilica - a 2,000 year old public building where major political, economic and administrative decisions were made.

An office building from the 1930s in London was about to be demolished — until remnants of the city’s first Roman basilica were found in the basement.

The 2,000-year-old basilica was “once the beating heart of Roman London,” the Museum of London Archaeology said.