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.

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

Archaeologists have found “the heart of Roman London,” the remains of the city’s first basilica, underneath an office building.

Experts are surprised at how much of the basilica, or town hall, survived. The ancient building was part of Roman London’s political and commercial center.

While exploring the site of a 32-story planned skyscraper in London, archaeologists unearthed the ruins of a nearly 2,000-year-old Roman basilica.

In the basement of an office building in London’s financial district, the ruins of an ancient Roman basilica were found buried beneath old filing cabinets and concrete floors. Archaeologists are calling it one of the most exciting recent discoveries in the British capital.