Sentence:  'I understand that the district was considered a sort of sanctuary,' the Chief was saying. 'An Alsatia like the <WSD>ancient</WSD> one behind the Strand, or the Saffron Hill before the First World War. They tell me there was a recognized swag-market down here.' 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Having lasted from a remote period; having been of long duration; of great age, very old.