"What is the oldest object that you can touch, on the streets of London?"

There are many ancient objects that you can see and touch in London, from the Needle of Thutmose III, mistakenly called 'Cleopatra's Needle', to the Cuneiform tablet in the St Vedast-alias-Foster Garden.

However, there is something far, far older, hidden in plain sight, that may surprise you.

If you visit the area of St Martin-in-the-Fields and head along Adelaide Street, towards Duncannon Street, you will discover a sculpture entitled 'A Conversation with Oscar Wilde'.

This sculpture was created by the artist Maggi Hambling, and was unveiled in 1998. Shaped like a coffin, it has a bust of Oscar Wilde, with a hand holding a cigarette, rising up out of the head end. At the foot end it is inscribed with the words, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars", which is taken from his play 'Lady Windermere's Fan'.

The sculpture was deliberately designed to be an interactive bench, where people can sit and 'chat' with Oscar Wilde.

Many mistakenly think that the piece is made from granite, but they are wrong. It is actually made from metamorphic rock, which is formed in the crust of the Earth. The lines throughout the sculpture show that this compressed rock is over three billion years old.

Cuneiform Tablet: The oldest object in the City of London

London is home to many ancient and wondrous items, many of which are kept in museums and galleries. But, there are also ancient and historic objects simply dotted around London's many streets and thoroughfares.

The oldest of these objects would have to be the Needle of Thutmose III, which stands on Victoria Embankment. This obelisk dates from around 1450 BC.

Then there are the Roman remains, such as the amphitheatre, the old city walls and bastions, mosaics and the like. These were all created from 45 AD onwards.

However, this curious brown block, on display in St Vedast-alias-Foster Garden, is, I am sure, one of the oldest objects, as it dates from between 858 and 834 BC. 

So, how did it end up in a church courtyard in London?