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…
Tag: Leicester
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…
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 now moved back to construction and we will be back in…
Digging for Britain: Leicester archaeology projects to feature on BBC
Projects led by Leicester archaeologists are to be showcased on the new series of BBC Two’s primetime TV series Digging for Britain in the New Year. Three University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) projects from across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are to feature on the latest series, presented by Professor Alice Roberts. The major discovery…
Leicester Cathedral Revealed – One person’s rubbish is an archaeologist’s treasure!
Work to excavate the higher burials at Leicester Cathedral has now paused for Christmas, with the count currently at 87. We had hoped to have completed the excavation this year but there are at least a dozen more burials to lift and we will be back for a short time in the New Year to…
Leicester Cathedral Revealed – archaeological excavation begins at Leicester Cathedral
University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) are delighted to announce that we have been appointed archaeological contractors for the Leicester Cathedral Revealed project. Now that the Old Song School has been demolished we have a team of archaeologists on site monitoring ground works including the removal of old foundations and the installation of trench sheeting and the contiguous piled…
New book explores life in Roman and Medieval Leicester
The most comprehensive book ever written on the archaeology of Leicester has been published by University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS). Walking through Leicester today it is difficult to appreciate that beneath its streets lie the remains of a 2,000-year-old settlement; beginning in the late Iron Age and subsequently re-shaped by a succession of Roman,…
Thrown to the Lions? New evidence revealed for the use of lions during executions in Roman Britain
Archaeologists in Leicester have discovered an elaborately-decorated Roman bronze key handle portraying the execution of captives in the arena by throwing them to lions. The handle portrays a ‘Barbarian’ grappling with a lion, together with four naked youths cowering in terror. The key handle was discovered by University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS), buried below…
Castle Hill Field School – Week 1 update
Welcome to the first blog update from the 2021 Castle Hill field school. Project director Mathew Morris reports: We have now been digging for six days, the 1st year archaeology students have finished their first week, we have welcomed 26 young archaeologists from the Leicestershire Young Archaeologists’ Club to site for a day’s digging and…
Searching for the Knights Hospitaller Self-Guided Walk
Welcome to Castle Hill Country Park. This walk will guide you around Castle Hill, the main archaeological site in the park, and tell you what is known so far about its history and archaeology.
Leir of Leicester: The archaeology behind the legend
We have recently had a couple of enquires about the link between King Leir and the Jewry Wall and thought we would take a closer look. ULAS Project Officer Mathew Morris investigates… One of Leicester’s most enduring legends is that of King Leir, the tragic king made famous by William Shakespeare’s titular play. Leir was a…
A Roman water tank at Jewry Wall Museum
Last autumn, a small team of archaeologists from ULAS found themselves burrowing beneath the floor of the once-bustling Jewry Wall museum in the heart of Roman Leicester. Site director Jennifer Browning reports: This was the site of the Roman town’s public baths and was the first large-scale archaeological excavation in Leicester, undertaken by Kathleen Kenyon…
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