ARCHAEOLOGISTS from the University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) have completed their main excavations of Leicester’s market place, uncovering extraordinary evidence of more than 2,000 years of human activity.
The excavations have revealed timber buildings from the earliest phases of the Roman occupation, evidence of Leicester’s first medieval market building – dating from the 15th century – and the remains of a prominent 16th century civic building.
The remarkable discoveries also include a hoard of around 30 Roman coins.
Since the dig began in July 2025, the ULAS team has revealed a wealth of archaeological features spanning multiple eras of Leicester’s past, with the team’s leader acknowledging the unique opportunity presented by the city council’s redevelopment of the historic site.
“For an archaeologist, opportunities like this come along perhaps once in a career,” said Joseph Peters, archaeological supervisor at ULAS.
“Investigating such a key part of the historic core has been both a privilege and an extraordinary experience for the whole team, who worked through a cold, wet winter to uncover and record the archaeology with care. These discoveries now contribute directly to our growing understanding of Leicester’s unfolding story.”
The earliest evidence unearthed from the market site shows that people were active in the area as early as 4000-2500 BCE.
Archaeologists were able to recover a small collection of prehistoric worked flints, including cutting tools characteristic of the Neolithic period, suggesting that Neolithic communities were drawn to the river terraces and natural resources that would later attract the Romans.
Excavations also revealed several Roman buildings across the site, including evidence of early timber structures, as well as rarely found Roman pottery kilns, offering new insights into domestic life and small-scale industry in Roman Leicester.
A hoard of Roman coins – now undergoing a specialist process of cleaning and conservation – appear to date from the 4th century, when political uncertainty and economic change were sweeping across the Roman Empire.
Also discovered during the excavations was evidence of the medieval Shambles and Drapery – the 15th century market hall that once housed butchers, drapers, shoemakers and other trades – and the remains of the Gainsborough Chamber, a 16th century civic building with its own dungeon.
Working in narrow trenches, following the routes of drainage and electrical services required for the new market square, archaeologists found hundreds of postholes, traces of former market stalls, and several compact pebble surfaces.
From these layers, many objects from the medieval market were discovered, including coins, keys, pottery shards, glass bottles, animal bones and even a leather shoe.
Project manager at ULAS Dr Gavin Speed, who managed the excavation, said: “Whilst we know a great deal about other parts of Roman and medieval Leicester, this central area had remained largely untouched beneath centuries of redevelopment.
“This excavation has allowed us, for the first time, to understand how this part of the town developed from the Roman period onward.
“We have uncovered Roman buildings, early medieval deposits, and the earliest phases of the medieval market — all stacked one above the other. To stand in the middle of the city and peel back nearly two millennia of history has been remarkable.
“Our work in the field is now largely complete, but the next stage is just as important. The finds and records require detailed analysis if we are to fully understand what we have discovered. These results will be published in due course, and we hope that many of the most significant finds will ultimately be made available for the public to see.”
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.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “It’s been extraordinary to watch the archaeologists reveal evidence of thousands of years of human activity in the heart of Leicester.
“We knew that the market was located in what would have been the south-east corner of Roman Leicester, but the discoveries that ULAS have made have surpassed our expectations.
“The analysis of their findings will help chart the evolution of Leicester’s market place – from the Roman settlement to the post‑medieval town – shedding new light on an area of the city that has remained largely unexplored.
“Now that the archaeologists are completing their fieldwork, it’s time for us to look ahead to the next phase in this site’s long and fascinating history.”
More information about the extraordinary discoveries recorded by ULAS can be found at ulasnews.com
Main image: Archaeological excavations in front of the Corn Exchange in Leicester. Photo credit: ULAS
1. Evidence of the medieval market building. Photo credit: ULAS
2. Medieval cobbled street. Photo credit: ULAS
3. A selection of finds from the market site
4. A silver penny, dating from 1461-64. The Edward IV penny is likely to have been in circulation until around 1547, so it will have been used to buy goods at the market some time between the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Photo credit: ULAS