Excavation begins at 'long-lost' Gloucester monastery

The remains of a 13th Century Carmelite friary were discovered beneath a bus station and multi-storey car park in 2020

Archaeologists are hoping to find Roman artefacts buried under a "long-lost" medieval monastery which was discovered in a city centre last year.

The remains of a 13th Century Carmelite friary was found beneath a bus station and car park in Gloucester.

Previous digs at the site have unearthed tiled and mortared floors, and part of a medieval drain.

Excavation work has started ahead of an £85m regeneration of the city's King's Quarter.

The friary was founded in about 1270 but was mostly demolished in the 16th Century and only traces of it survived on historical maps.

Historians had known roughly where it had stood, but its exact location remained a mystery until last year.

It is possible Roman artefacts lie underneath the level of the friary waiting to be unearthed, the engineers behind the dig said.

The Forum is the city's new "digital quarter" which is being built in the Kings Quarter

The Forum, the city's new "digital quarter", is being built on the site.

The development will include a business hub, hotel, gym, restaurants, shops, bars, a multi-storey car park and apartments.

The area is being prepared ahead of construction and it is thought artefacts may "lie underneath the level of the friary waiting to be unearthed".

A spokesman for developer Reef Group said: "Our aim is to deliver The Forum with the least possible impact on any important archaeological artefacts.

"This intriguing site has already helped us better understand the wonderful and rich history of the city, and we can't wait to see what these latest excavations unearth."

The findings suggest there were at least four large buildings at the site

Gloucester City Council said it "looks forward to sharing any future findings with the public".

"It's very exciting to take another step forward towards making the The Forum a reality, as well as potentially revealing more about our city's rich history."

Whitefriars was one of several monastic organisations in Gloucester along with Llanthony Priory, the Blackfriars and the Greyfriars.

The religious order of Carmelites, known as Whitefriars, was the last monastic organisation to be founded in Gloucester.