Monday, February 04, 2013

How they found Richard III under a Leicester car park


In June I came across the story that the bones of Richard III might still be lying under the streets of Leicester. I wrote about it as it seemed  the sort of local curiosity this blog enjoys and thought no more about it.

A month later I came across the suggestion that there was to be a dig to look for the king. I blogged about that too, but was at pains to point out that I did not know who was behind the plan - or the appeal for funds.

A month after that, the dig began. The photograph above is one I took on Saturday 25 August having peered through the gates at the rear of the site. This was just about the first day of the dig.

Incredibly, Richard's bones were found a couple of days later more or less on the sport where the excavator was working.

Below is a video of the extraordinary moment that the identity of Richard III was announced.

This is a day that has left me proud to work in the city I do and proud to be a graduate of the University of Leicester. Read more about the search for Richard III on the university website.

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