ULAS News

Leicester Cathedral Revealed – The story so far

Our dig team has now been on site at Leicester Cathedral for over a year! This has included nine months of excavation within the footprint of the new Heritage Learning Centre as well as monitoring of other groundwork both inside and outside the Cathedral. Archaeological work is due to continue for another couple of months…

Leicester Cathedral Revealed – Searching for the medieval church

So far, our blogs have focused on the archaeological work for the Cathedral’s new heritage learning centre. This is only one part of the Leicester Cathedral Revealed project, and in his latest blog excavation director Mathew Morris updates us on the archaeological work going on inside the Cathedral. Our work inside the Cathedral is what…

Leicester Cathedral Revealed – A tragic case of manslaughter

BREAKING NEWS (well, 185 years ago!). We have an update about Leicester Cathedral Revealed’s first named individual, John Wilson Ottey. Site director Mathew Morris previously wrote about John Ottey last November and further research in newspaper archives has brought to light a tragic incident when he was a young man. The Leicestershire Mercury reported events…

Leicester Cathedral Revealed – Telling Leicester’s life stories

What can we learn from human skeletons and what do we want to learn from the individuals excavated from Leicester Cathedral? In our next blog, Dr Sarah Inskip from the University of Leicester, and Project Leader for the Tobacco Health and History project, explains what we hope to learn from the burials excavated during the…

Brewing, lead working and Roman rural life at Melbourne

Early in 2021, ULAS began an investigation of a small strip of land at Melbourne in South Derbyshire. A trial trench evaluation was commissioned prior to the construction of eights new homes. Day one of the evaluation fell on the first truly snowy day of the year, quite a contrast to the wet weather conditions…

Leicester archaeologists expand excavations at Leicester Cathedral site

The team behind the discovery of Richard III have resumed major archaeological excavations at Leicester Cathedral, close to where the King was found. Archaeologists and other experts from University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) are leading excavations on the site of the Old Song School, at the eastern end of Leicester Cathedral, which could reveal…

Leicester Cathedral Revealed – Church walls and hints of Roman remains

Over the past couple of months, we have been on site at the Cathedral intermittently monitoring the construction of the piling wall and other footings for the new Heritage Learning Centre. This work has given us a tantalising preview of what might lie beneath the graveyard. Site director Mathew Morris provides a new update… The…

Chester House Estate Community Archaeology Taster Day

We would like to invite you to a community archaeology taster day at The Chester House Estate, Northamptonshire on Sunday 15th May 2022. A collaborative team including representatives from the School of Archaeology & Ancient History (SAAH) at the University of Leicester, The Chester House Estate, University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS), Museum of London…

Leicester Cathedral Revealed – It’s the coffin they’ll carry you off in

Time for another update from Leicester Cathedral Revealed. At present we are waiting to resume our excavation at Leicester Cathedral. Work hasn’t stopped, however, and over the past couple of months we’ve been on site as needed monitoring groundwork for the installation of the piling wall for the new Heritage Learning Centre. Work is also…

Mud and painted nails: An archaeologist’s story

International Women’s Day has been celebrated on 8th March for more than a century. The theme for 2022 is #BreaktheBias. The day celebrates women’s achievement, raises awareness against bias and takes action for equality. For our post this year, ULAS Archaeological Assistant Isobel Moss tells us about what inspired her to become an archaeologist and…

In memoriam – Deborah Sawday (1944-2021)

Last November we sadly reported the passing of Deborah Sawday, our medieval pottery specialist and part of the ULAS team since we began in 1995. Nicholas Cooper, ULAS post-excavation project manager remembers a friend and colleague who is greatly missed.

Leicester Cathedral Revealed – Anne Barratt (1786-1855)

Happy New Year everyone, and welcome back to our Leicester Cathedral Revealed updates. We have been back on site for a couple of weeks and we have now wrapped up Phase 1 of the excavation with a total of 124 burials excavated. Work has moved back to construction and we will be back in a…