Medieval wall uncovered at historic monument

Lighting and information boards have been installed at the historic monument

Archaeologists have uncovered part of a medieval wall during conservation work at a historic monument.

St Oswald's Priory in Gloucester was built in 900 AD and, until now, only the remains of the north wall had survived.

Work started in March to enhance the landmark, which has led to its removal from Historic England's at Risk Register.

Rebecca Trimnell, from Gloucester City Council, said: "I was delighted to see the archaeological team uncover part of the medieval wall around St Oswald's Priory, which is now visible for all to see."

The site was built by Alfred the Great's eldest daughter and later became the resting place for the relics of the Christian martyr St Oswald.

Small scale repairs to the stonework and improvements to the gravelled area have been carried out, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Jeremy Hilton, leader of the council, said: "It needed some repair works and we just needed to make sure the structure was protected.

"Installing up-lighting really does help because it protects it from vandalism, particularly at night, which we were getting at periods of time."

"It has always been a wonderful historical landmark, but for many years it was looking very unloved," said Ms Trimnell.

"I am pleased to say with a lot of time and effort from a number of individuals it's now looking wonderful with new lights and new interpretation boards also installed."

The local authority received grants of £20,000 from Historic England and £16,000 from the government's Shared Prosperity Fund to carry out the work, which includes improvements to the landscaping, new architectural lighting and CCTV cameras.