Lost medieval sacristy uncovered at Westminster Abbey

A lost medieval sacristy used by 13th century monks has been uncovered in the grounds of Westminster Abbey along with the bones of hundreds, if not thousands, of buried bodies.“You do have to be careful where you’re walking,” said archaeologist Chris Mayo, pointing to a fragment of skull poking out of the sandy soil. “You can see from the ground there are burials everywhere.”Mayo has led a team working on one of the Abbey’s biggest archaeological projects, one which has had the aim of uncovering the foundations of the Great Sacristy on its North Green, facing the busy Victoria Street. The sacristy was built in the 1250s by Henry III during his reconstruction of the abbey that was built by Edward the Confessor. It was the place where monks kept their vestments, altar linens, chalices and other sacred items used in mass. Before that the site was used as a burial ground for monks, one of whom – still in remarkable condition – has been carefully and temporarily uncovered in his chalk-lined grave by the archaeological team. The sacristy was repurposed as a domestic dwelling and in 1740, being in a perilous state, it was demolished. It was later uncovered and recorded in 1869 in a project directed by the celebrated architect Sir George Gilbert Scott whose buildings include the Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras Station in London. At the time he was the Abbey’s Surveyor of the Fabric. The team from Pre-Construct Archaeology has been working since January, with a three month lockdown break, to understand the site better as part of a wider building project.

All data is taken from the source: https://www.theguardian.com/
Article Link: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/aug/23/lost-medieval-sacristy-uncovered-at-westminster-abbey


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