Amateur archaeologists find Tudor palace in the Northamptonshire village of Collyweston

Collyweston Palace in Northamptonshire, the home of Henry VII’s mother Lady Margaret Beaufort, was once famous. The pre-wedding celebrations of the marriage of Margaret Tudor and James IV of Scotland in 1503 were held there, and Henry VIII held court on 16 and 17 October 1541. There were meetings of the Privy Council too.

But until a group of amateur archaeologists got going in the village, the location of the palace was lost. 

The Guardian carried the news of its finding at the start of December:

"Many of us were brought up in the village, and you hear about this lost palace, and wonder whether it’s a myth or real. So we just wanted to find it," said Chris Close, the chair of the Collyweston Historical and Preservation Society ... which made the discovery of the Palace of Collyweston in a back garden this year.

"But we’re a bunch of amateurs. We had no money, no expertise, no plans, no artist impressions to go off, and nothing remaining of the palace. It’s naivety and just hard work that has led us to it."

You can all about it on the Collyweston Historical Society website.