Archaeologists have discovered pottery and a possible burial ground beneath a Nottingham city centre construction project.
The find was made under part of the Confetti Institute of Creative Technology on Lower Parliament Street, part of which is being developed into a new Creative Media Hub.
Archaeologists say the find is one of the most important in the city in the last 15 years and are collecting samples and documenting their findings.
Paul Flintoft, project manager at Trent and Peak Archaeology, which made the original find, said: “We expected there to be some archaeology but we expected most of it to be damaged by the late building but once we took that away we found a very nicely preserved site with pits full of well preserved tiles and pottery.
“While digging we also discovered small narrow features which might be burials, we are currently testing the substance but we are yet to find any human remains.”
In medieval times, the site would have been just outside the boundary of Nottingham and documentation shows that St John’s Hospital used to be near the area.
Acting City Archaeologist, Scott Lomax, thinks the site might have had a connection to the hospital.
He said: “The hospital had land extending beyond this site and two pottery kennels were found in a car park only a few meters from here so there might have been some sort of industry here.”
Paul added: “In two or three years time our view of what medieval Nottingham was will be different to what it is today.
“Sites like this prove that there are still preserved sites to be found and that the suburbs of the medieval city can tell us a lot more than we thought about the city’s history.”
Scott expects this find will be the start of more archaeological digs in the city centre.
He said: “This is a huge piece of the jigsaw of what was happening in Nottingham at the time.
“It is a great opportunity to find out more about the city and gives us a more compelling argument for future digs.”
