Roman and Victorian heritage unearthed at Worcester Cathedral

Worcestershire Archaeology and the cathedral team have been preparing the ground for a new landscaping project to create  welcoming green space connecting the cathedral and the city.

Worcester Cathedral’s Archaeologists have unearthed clues to its Roman and Victorian heritage.

The work has unearthed some fascinating clues to the cathedral’s rich history including a Roman cobbled surface uncovered close to the North Porch, providing a rare glimpse of Roman Worcester.

In amongst the cobbles were fragments of more than one type of quern stone for grinding flour, the neck of a blue glass perfume bottle and a decorative stamp made from a sheep bone. The cobbles also contained broken pottery which will help to date the surface, which is thought to have been out of use by the 4th century as it was covered over by mud containing a coin of this date.

The College Yard area, on the north side of Worcester Cathedral, was historically Worcester City’s burial ground until the 19^th Century and the team has carefully excavated a small number of pre-Victorian skeletons, which will be analysed before being re-interred in the Cathedral’s Charnel crypt.

This latest archaeological work may have picked up hints of a bell tower. it is known that a medieval parish church (St Michael’s), and a detached bell tower that may be pre-Norman once stood within the northeast corner of College Yard.

The team also encountered evidence of a Works Yard with significant quantities of 14-16^th century window glass, blacksmith waste and a pit of ochre. Other finds include structural remains and the buried walls of the Sacrist’s demolished sometime between 1712-15 and a wealth of medieval painted glass in the demolition material.

The cathedral hopes to share its archaelogical findings in full next summer.

Worcester Cathedral’s Archaeologist, Fiona Keith-Lucas, said:

“We found some fantastic things during enabling archaeology work. Because we know the area is so rich in archaeology, we have been doing the work largely in advance of the main contract so things will move smoothly on site and not be held up. 

“There will still be archaeologists working alongside to ensure that all archaeology is excavated and recorded properly, so these are just our preliminary findings. All artefacts are yet to be analysed, but we are getting a good feel for the site and its complexity.” 

Work started this week on the landscaping project and will continue into the new year -it is hoped phase one will be complete by March 2025.

There will be onsite disruption as works take place, but the cathedral will remain open and accessible to visitors throughout, with alternate entrance arrangements clearly signposted at all times.

The longer-term aim is to create a pedestrianised route around the cathedral, from College Yard, through the west gardens, down to the river, then back through College Green and College Precincts, to the main College Yard entrance.

This project has been made possible thanks to generous funding from the Kildare Trust, the Wolfson Foundation, The Dulverton Trust and the Towns Deal Levelling up Fund, as well as a number of anonymous donors.