Researchers Uncover 900-Year-Old Church Under Another Church Being Excavated
Image via HS2
In an exciting find, archaeologists in the UK have uncovered the remains of a forgotten medieval Anglo-Saxon church, buried beneath another Norman church they were excavating.
The building is one of many surprising discoveries that have surfaced as researchers clear the way for HS2, a large-scale high-speed railway system.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, in past excavations, archaeologists have dugged up a myriad of curiosities—from remnants of a prehistoric coastline to the skeleton of a murder victim from the Iron Age.
This time, in Buckinghamshire, over 40 researchers worked together to unearth the nearly 900-year-old Anglo-Saxon church that lay beneath St Mary’s Church.
While experts were excavating the surroundings, they came across three-foot-tall walls of a square structure. They then discovered a circular boundary ditch, and a number of burial plots below the church, as per Bucks Free Press.
According to The Guardian, the building was likely constructed in the years after the Norman conquest of England. The edifice was built upon a gray foundation that was possibly laid by the invaders, though anything beneath that would be from even further back in time, as per Express.
“The work underneath at Old St Mary’s is a unique archaeological opportunity of excavate a medieval parish church with over 900 years of meaning to the local community,” lead archaeologist Rachel Wood said in a statement.
Additionally, this discovery enables researchers to “build a clearer picture of what the landscape of Buckinghamshire would have been like over 1,000 years ago,” said HS2 Head of Heritage Helen Wass.
The HS2 project has been a controversial topic in the UK, with critics positing there could be loss of such heritage finds, more environmental risks, and a high price tag of US$128 billion, as per BBC.
Regardless of how one feels about the HS2 railway line, it’s definitely neat to see all these long-forgotten buildings and artefacts brought back to life.
Image via HS2
Image via HS2
[via Smithsonian Magazine, images via HS2]
Also check out these recent news
