A fourth century piece of pottery discovered in West London has given new insight into the origins of Christianity in the capital.

The piece of pottery, made in Oxfordshire in the fourth century, is inscribed with the Greek letters Chi (X) and Rho (P), the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ, Khristos.

The pottery was originally discovered during excavations of Brentford High Street in 1970, however its significance was not realised until almost 50 years later.

"At first we noticed there was some sort of mark on the pot and then quickly realised the significance of what we had," said Adam Corsini, the Museum of London's archaeology collections manager.

"Christian symbols from the Roman period are rare, especially from sites within Londonium's surrounding Hinterland and there are only a few examples within our collections relating to London."

The pottery is now on display at the museum, as one of very few surviving examples of Christian symbolism from the Roman period.

"Although we can't say from one object that Roman London and its Hinterland were practicing Christianity, it does suggest that Christians were at least present at some point in 4th Century Roman Brentford," Corsini added.

The excavations in 1970 occurred in Brentford town centre due to a road being widened. Over one hundred coins and a dozen brooches were found during the digs.