Restoration of warrior Queen's priory starts

Historians believe the warrior Queen Aethelflaed and her husband are interred in the crypt of St Oswald's in Gloucester

Restoration work has begun on the burial place of the first Queen of England.

Aethelflaed, Queen of Mercia, led armies against the Vikings and the Welsh and is believed to have been interred at St Oswald's Priory in Gloucester 1,100 years ago.

A survey of the Grade I-listed monument revealed that stonework is badly weathered and worn down.

A team of stonemasons will repair the ruins over the next two months.

Concrete render used on the structure in the 1970s will also be removed during the project, which will cost around £30,000.

Iona Lennon, who is leading the project, said: "It's important to spend the money as the priory has stood here since the 10th Century and we have to maintain it for the next generations."

St Oswald's Priory was founded by Lady Aethelflaed of Mercia, daughter of Alfred the Great, around 900

The priory, built out of Roman ruins, was largely destroyed by cannon fire during the Civil War and the Siege of Gloucester