Car-park site of Richard III’S grave to get protected status

THE Leicester car park where the remains of Richard III were found has been given protected status by Historic England.

The last Plantagenet king was laid to rest hastily after his death in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 in a medieval monastic site, the remains of which now lie beneath a council car park.

Now, the 13th century Greyfriars has been listed as a scheduled monument.

It is thought the archaeological site – “one of the most significant in our national history” due to its connection to the events around the climactic battle of the War of the Roses – is well preserved under the city-centre car park.

Making the friary into a scheduled monument means it is preserved for future generations, with special conwas sent required before any work or changes can be made.

Richard’s skeleton was found during an archaeological excavation at Leicester city council’s car park in 2012. The controversial monarch was reburied in 2015 at Leicester Cathedral.

The Greyfriars site dates back to the 1220s when Franciscan friars arrived in Leicester, and it was at their church where Richard was buried in 1485 after the battle which saw Henry Tudor become king of England.

The friary was dissolved in 1538 and the church demolished. Although parts were built over in the following centuries, much of the area was made into gardens and became car parking serving the council offices by the mid-20th century.