An archaeological dig at the future site of a Gloucestershire University building—formerly home to a department store—has uncovered a remarkable timeline of English history. Excavations revealed artifacts spanning the Roman, medieval, and post-medieval periods, offering a deep and detailed look into the region's past. Among the discoveries were more than 300 human skeletons, believed to have been interred in or around two churches that once occupied the site.
Roman-era finds include cobblestones, possibly part of a 2nd-century road, fragments of pottery, and the foundations of a townhouse, suggesting the area was once part of a vibrant settlement. Meanwhile, approximately half the skeletons were located in what appear to be medieval burial vaults. These are thought to be linked to an early church that existed prior to the Norman conquest of 1066 and was likely demolished in the 1600s following damage during the English Civil War.
The remaining burials, which are shallower and lacking vaults, are believed to be associated with St Aldate’s Church, constructed around 1750 as a replacement for the earlier religious structure.
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Stunning Artifacts—and Gloucester’s History—Revealed by City Campus Digs
As part of its City Campus construction project, the University of Gloucestershire commissioned Cotswold Archaeology to carry out an extensive excavation at the location of the former Debenhams store, which is currently being transformed into a modern center for teaching, learning and community partnerships, opening this year.
The existing City Campus courtyard, formerly a service/goods yard for the Bon Marche and later Debenhams department store, was previously occupied by St Aldate’s Church, which was originally founded in the medieval period. The size and form of the medieval church, and its associated burial ground, were unknown prior to the works at City Campus as no previous archaeological investigations had been undertaken in this area of the site.
Arched building piece, likely from St Aldate’s Church, found during excavations and dating to 13th century. (University of Gloucestershire).
“The medieval church was demolished in the mid-1650s, with documentary sources indicating that much of its stonework was utilised to repair other parish churches in the town, such as those sustaining damage during the English Civil War,” said Steve Sheldon, Acting Principal Manager at Costwold Archaeology. “A new parish church, on or near the site of the medieval precursor, was constructed in the mid-18th century. The latter survived until the early 1960s when it was demolished to make way for the department store.”
Archaeological excavations undertaken within the existing courtyard fully revealed the footprint of the post-medieval church, represented by limestone and brick foundations, along with around 83 brick-lined burial vaults both within the church itself and in the associated burial ground.
These vaults had been cleared in the mid-1950s prior to construction of the goods service area for the former Bon Marche/Debenhams department store.
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Approximately 150 post-medieval burials, not contained in burial vaults, were identified in the courtyard. Deeper excavations revealed approximately 170 earlier burials, the majority of which are provisionally thought to relate to the medieval church.
In total, 317 skeletons and 83 brick burial vaults were recorded. Where impacted by the current development, burials have been recorded and carefully excavated by the archaeological team under the terms of a burial licence issued by the Ministry of Justice and a Faculty granted by the Diocese of Gloucester.
“Although the footprint of the medieval church was not identified during the current archaeological works, the identification of a limestone wall with surviving lime plaster most probably represents part of the earlier church,” Sheldon said. “If so, it is now evident that the floor plans of the two churches were not coincident, with the medieval church being constructed much further to the south, away from the St Aldate Street frontage.”
Ruins of St. Oswald's Priory in Gloucester, the city’s most well-known medieval church. (Philafrenzy/CC0).
In addition to the limestone wall, a number of worked stone objects were recovered, including part of a mid-14th-century window arch with some internal tracery, associated with the medieval church. These objects have been retained on site, following archaeological recording, and will be displayed on site for students, staff and visitors to City Campus to appreciate once the site is fully operational.
Evidence of Increased Sugar in Medieval Diets
Archaeological works were undertaken within the basement (lower ground floor) of the existing property and during external works throughout the existing service courtyard, including work associated with connecting utilities to the site from St Aldate Street.
A series of sump pits excavated in the existing basement revealed evidence of Roman activity; including the remains of walls where the stones have been systematically removed, probably for use elsewhere; timber stakes and planking, a metaled courtyard surface and a small number of pits and ditches. Many of these features and deposits are comparable with those identified during archaeological works undertaken in the 1950s and early 1960s before the construction of the building.
Part of Gloucester’s Roman wall, from first century AD. (Philip Halling/Geograph Britain and Ireland/CC BY-SA 2.0).
Cliff Bateman, Senior Project Officer at Cotswold Archaeology, said: “While our archaeological works are now complete on site, we will be undertaking scientific analysis of the finds and the human remains to learn more about the lives of those buried within the church yard.
“As this was an urban church, the story it will tell about the health of Gloucester’s population over a period of around 1,000 years will be most interesting. For example, on a very basic level, the impact of increased sugar in the diet during the 16th century was visibly clear in terms of dental health. The full results of these studies will be published in due course.”
Top image: Cotswold Archaeology worker excavating in the area where the medieval graves and other artifacts were discovered.
Source: University of Gloucestershire.
This is an edited and expanded version of a press release from the University of Gloucestershire, entitled ‘Cotswold Archaeology Experts Uncover Secrets of the Past During Work at City Campus.’
