Richard III making a comeback in Leicester..

[I am Rod Hull]

It's the Greyfriars car park which is owned by the council and as far as I know has never been open to the public anyway.

Is this the old argument of if you cannot eat, make money from or have a wank over something then it's of no value?

Personally I'm very excited at the prospect of a major historical figure being exhumed just down the road. So much so that I'm hoping that they'll let me have the remains once they've finished mucking about with them. Richard the third in my lounge! Just imagine

I have one in my upstairs toilet, you can come round and see it anytime.

[Tom17LCFC]

I was under the impression it had been thrown into the river like Webbo said. Good luck finding it if so!

[THEFATBASTARD]

A parking space, a parking space - my Kingdom for a parking space ??

There will be a winter of discontent If I get a fookin parking ticket...

[OzFox]

I didn't know they've decided the actual battle took place two miles away from Ambion Hill. So much for the marker and the award winning visitor centre.

Expect most people have seen it already but this is an interesting read about the badge and the cannonballs

http://www.dailymail...-500-years.html

[absolutelegend]

Got to give credit to thise clever boffins who think they might have located him.

Personally I'm very excited about it, plus its a great bit of positive publicity for leicester.

[Guest]

I was quite excited when I saw this news on the TV.

It can only be good for Leicester. We Leicesterians need more pride in ourselves. The Midlands of England are so overlooked culturally. It was likely to be the place where modern English has it's grass roots.

[kingfox]

My dad tarmaced around that Car Park when he was with the council and they dug deep and found nothing.

[davieG]

The discovery of medieval walls shows a search for the lost grave of Richard III is "on the right track", archaeologists have said.

Richard's body was brought to Leicester after his death in battle in 1485 but the grave's location was lost.

A University of Leicester team started digging in a city car park last week after research pinpointed the area.

Now the team has discovered walls they believe could come from the Franciscan friary where he was buried.

Richard III had been king for only two years when he was killed by the forces of Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth.

DNA tests

He was buried in the church of Greyfriars but this was demolished during the reign of Henry VIII in the 1530s.

Although as late as 1612 some locals claimed to know the exact site of the grave, the fate of his bones is unclear.

The archaeologists have now found thick walls, along with pieces of stone window frame and the the remains of tiled floors.

Richard Buckley, of the University of Leicester Archaeology Service, said the discoveries, along with the good state of preservation, had left the team "fired up".

"The dimensions of the walls and the association with certain building materials and tiled floors suggests we are looking at a religious house and a high status medieval building.

"One of the walls in particular is getting on for two metres thick and it's on an east-west orientation, so as far as we can tell, and its still early days yet, it might be one of the walls of the Greyfriars church and if that is the case, we are on the right track."

A new trench is to be opened up to confirm the building is a church and possibly close in on the grave.

If a body is found, its DNA will be tested against living descendants of Richard III.

[breadandcheese]

Chance for public to view search for Richard III

04/09/2012

THE site of excavations searching for the tomb of Richard III is to be opened for the public to view for the first time.

An open event has been arranged this weekend for visitors to see for themselves the work which is taking place in Greyfriars car park, in Leicester city centre, to search for the last resting place of the last Plantagenet king.

Richard III is believed to have been buried in the city following his death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

Excavations in the car park are are making excellent progress to pinpoint the exact location of the long-lost Greyfriars church, and with it, Richard III's grave.

The nature of the painstaking dig, which is being carried out by experts from the University of Leicester, means the site isn't generally accessible to the public. The work involves working in confined conditions with the possibility of discovering human remains, meaning the site must remain uncontaminated by visitors' DNA.

But following a huge amount of local and national interest in the ongoing work, the University of Leicester, working in partnership with the Richard III Society and Leicester City Council, will open the site to the public on Saturday, September 8, from 11am to 2pm.

Assistant City Mayor responsible for heritage, leisure and sport, Cllr Piara Singh Clair, said: "The level of interest generated by this excavation has been amazing, and people understandably want to see for themselves the fascinating work which is being carried out.

"With the support of the University of Leicester and the Richard III Society, we're very pleased to be able to offer people the chance to see the site, and get a closer look at some of the finds made so far.

"The University of Leicester and the Richard III Society are uncovering information which will help us to better tell one of Leicester's most remarkable stories, and to understand the last days of one of the most controversial kings in British history."

Richard Taylor, director of corporate affairs at the University of Leicester, added: "The search for Richard III is one of the most exciting projects the University of Leicester has led.

"Members of the public have been hugely supportive of the search and have sent many kind messages to the university.

"It's very important that people are given the opportunity to see the work for themselves."

The site will be accessible from Greyfriars itself, and admission is free. Advance booking is not needed, although some queueing may be needed if large numbers of visitors arrive.

There will also be a small display of some of the finds discovered at the site.

[THEFATBASTARD]

I better get there early..Im sure there will be thousands of people wanting to look down a hole in a car park... Im getting wet just thinking about it..

[LJS]

I'm very interested in this period of history, particularly as it has such a local resonance. This seems to me like exactly the kind of thing a university should be spending money on; the expansion of knowledge. The whereabouts of Richard's body has been a mystery for centuries and it would be nice if we could discover what really happened.

Someone up thread mentioned the location of the Battle of Bosworth Field being confirmed relatively recently. I believe that they have extended the battlefield trail to incorporate the new discovery. I haven't taken the walk yet but will do soon enough. It's a lovely place for a day out regardless of anything else, but knowing about the history of the area only adds to the impression it leaves.

[Parafox]

I always thought his body was supposedly thrown into the river off West Bridge.

I think there's a plaque there that says something like "near this spot lies buried the remains of Richard III"

[Orkneyfox]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-19474848

Very interesting how much the modern street plan matches the medieval street layout.

[Guest]

Richrad III was French. Did he die from backache or toothache?

[Webbo]

Richrad III was French. Did he die from backache or toothache?

Probably halitosis.

[Guest]

Probably halitosis.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

I love Archaeology, and am really interested in this dig..

Wish I was there.

[Zingari]

Why didn’t someone make a historical note that they’d buried him under the car park in

New Street and which bay he was under?

It would have saved a lot of time and trouble, Stupid bloody Plantagenets

[Smudge]

.

[Parafox]

Archaeologists hunting for King Richard III have unearthed evidence of human remains in the spot they believe he is buried.

The discovery, by the team of researchers from the University of Leicester, has caused a huge wave of excitement.

"What we have uncovered is truly remarkable and today we will be announcing to the world that the search for King Richard III has taken a dramatic new turn," said Richard Taylor, director of corporate affairs at the university.

Leic Merc

[Mack]

Archaeologists hunting for King Richard III have unearthed evidence of human remains in the spot they believe he is buried.

The discovery, by the team of researchers from the University of Leicester, has caused a huge wave of excitement.

"What we have uncovered is truly remarkable and today we will be announcing to the world that the search for King Richard III has taken a dramatic new turn," said Richard Taylor, director of corporate affairs at the university.

Leic Merc

And our County Council want to tar mac it back over and park cars on it again.................

[Darkon84]

Press conference on Radio Leicester at 11am today, regarding the find

[Babylon]

Skeleton has injury to back of skull that could have been made in battle.

An arrow head between the shoulders.

Skeleton has abnormalities of the spine that would have given the person a curved spine and one shoulder lower that the other.

[Darkon84]

Just listening to the conference. They arent saying they have found Richard III, but they have found a female skeleton, plus a full male skeleton, in what would have been the choiry (where accounts say he was laid to rest).

Other things to note are that:

The male skeleton went through serious trauma near to death, as he would have done,

There is a blade wound to the back of the head, consistant with accounts,

An arrow wound to the body,

And finally, a spinal condition which would have led to the man having his right shoulder higher than his left, which is also consistant with the most contempory accounts of Richard III.

So, by the sounds of it, they may well have found him, but the scientific analysis needs to be done now.

[THEFATBASTARD]

Looks like he's back! and will be touring...can't wait to see his first gig..