Hundreds of Skeletons and a Lost Medieval Church Unearthed Beneath British University

Archaeologists in the UK just got the surprise of a lifetime when they uncovered hundreds of skeletons and the remains of a medieval church hidden beneath the University of Gloucestershire's City Campus. The discovery came as workers prepared the site—formerly a department store—for the university's new expansion, with absolutely nobody expecting to stumble upon an underground time capsule straight out of the Middle Ages.

The excavation, led by Cotswold Archaeology, revealed the forgotten ruins of St. Aldate’s Church, which dated back centuries before being knocked down in the mid-1650s. The team found limestone and brick foundations, along with a whopping 83 brick-lined burial vaults inside the church and in its accompanying graveyard. And as if that wasn’t enough, about 150 post-medieval burials were uncovered in the courtyard, and even deeper digging revealed another 170 older burials, believed to be linked to the original medieval church.

All told, the tally hit 317 skeletons—each with its own story, though they’re keeping most of their secrets for now. The site had been erased from living memory after the vaults were cleared in the 1950s to make way for the long-gone Debenhams department store. A newer parish church built in the 18th century was also eventually demolished for retail progress—apparently, history has a habit of getting paved over.

While the full footprint of the medieval church didn’t survive, archaeologists did find a limestone wall with lime plaster that almost certainly belonged to St. Aldate’s. The ongoing analysis of the remains is already shedding light on historical lifestyles, including dental health woes brought on by the sugar rush of the 16th century—proof that sweet tooth troubles are older than we thought.

Cotswold Archaeology has been on a roll lately, having also uncovered two dozen skeletons dating back to 670 A.D. beneath a hotel last summer. As for the University of Gloucestershire site, detailed findings on these newly unearthed residents are expected in due course. One thing’s for sure: the City Campus just got way more interesting than anyone bargained for.