Protected, car park where Richard III’s grave found

THE site where Richard III’s grave was discovered – under a car park in Leicester – has been given protected status.

The remains of 13th-century Greyfriars, where the last Plantagenet king was buried after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, has now been listed as a scheduled monument.

Richard’s skeleton was found at the medieval monastic site – well-preserved under a citycentre car park – in 2012, and he was reburied at Leicester cathedral in 2015.

John Glen, the heritage minister, said: ‘The discovery of Richard III’s skeleton was an extraordinary archaeological find and an incredible moment in British history.

‘By protecting this site as a scheduled monument, we are ensuring that the remains of this once lost medieval friary buried under Leicester are preserved for future generations.’

The status means special consent will be required to make any changes to the site.