THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS whose work has ensured that the history of Leicester’s market place is properly understood, recorded, and preserved for future generations have been praised by City Mayor Peter Soulsby.
Speaking to city councillors following a presentation by the University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) today (Monday), Sir Peter said that the work carried out by the team beneath the market place had been “exceptional” – and provided fascinating evidence of more than 2,000 years of human activity in the heart of the city.
With the market located in what would have been the south-east corner of Roman Leicester, the City Mayor said he had hoped that the eight-month dig would result in finds from that era – but that the archaeologists’ discoveries had exceeded his expectations.
“The team from ULAS have done an amazing job, in conditions that were often extremely challenging,” he said.
“Their excavations have revealed an exceptional sequence of remains – from Roman buildings, burials and industrial activity, through to Anglo-Saxon deposits, early medieval market surfaces and substantial 16th century civic architecture.
“These discoveries are of considerable importance to the history and identity of Leicester – and provide valuable new insight into the city’s development through time.
“Ensuring that a construction site, such as this, is properly explored by archaeologists is a statutory duty – and there are costs, of course, when you have a team of archaeologists on site for eight months. With the archaeology bill coming in at more than £1m, and with other costs rising, the overall budget for the market scheme will need to be increased. It’s a lot of money, clearly, but a small price to pay for the new knowledge and understanding of our city that the team’s meticulous work has given us.”
A decision notice, confirming an increase of £1.9m to the budget for the market scheme, is expected to be signed by the City Mayor next month.
While the main excavations are now complete, ULAS will maintain a watching brief throughout the groundworks phase, with archaeologists remaining on site to record any further archaeology as new service trenches are dug.
Contractors working on the new market square are now completing the groundworks, with the first porphyry pavers due to be laid over the summer.
Other works taking place as part of the regeneration of the market area include the restoration of the stone staircase in front of Leicester’s historic Corn Exchange.
Thanks to a grant from Historic England and funding from the city council, conservation work will soon get under way to repair the staircase – known locally as ‘the Rialto Bridge’.
A Historic England repair grant of £207,024 – which has been agreed in principle – together with £230,000 of city council funding will allow the staircase’s failed structural ties and balusters to be replaced and weathered stonework to be restored.
When work is complete at the end of the year, the restored staircase and the freshly painted Grade II*-Listed Corn Exchange will provide a stunning backdrop to the new market square.
Ben Robinson, Midland Partnerships Team Leader at Historic England, said: “The market place is the heart of Leicester and the Corn Exchange’s ‘Rialto Bridge’ steps have been the stage and set for many important historic events in the city and its everyday life. They will go on to play a huge role in the city’s future.”
Work is also complete on the restoration of the statue of the Duke of Rutland, which was removed from its plinth outside the Corn Exchange two years ago.
After a careful process of conservation, the fully-restored statue will be returning to its original site on Cheapside, where it was first unveiled in 1852.
A date for the statue’s return will be announced this summer.