We’re delighted to see PCA’s work at the Tower of London featured in National Geographic! It’s always exciting when the stories we help uncover reach such a wide audience.
This #FindsFriday, we’re sharing one of the most tantalising discoveries from the site, a pair of medieval funerary incense pots (c.1150–1250). As Alfred Hawkins, Curator, says in the article, “Grave goods in Medieval England aren’t really a thing,”
Only two such “gravpottes” have been found in the UK, suggesting the individual may have come from Northern France or Denmark, where they were more common. If the charcoal fragments are large enough, it might even be possible to reconstruct the incense.
Today, August 1st, is the Feast of Saint Peter ad Vincula, the saint to whom the Tower of London’s chapel is dedicated, and the timing couldn’t be more fitting.
During our recent excavation, in collaboration with the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces, PCA uncovered the footings of Henry I’s 12th-century chapel, along with a contemporary stone drain. These remains haven’t been seen since the building was demolished under Henry III, more than 750 years ago.
There’s a strong possibility that this early chapel was inaugurated on the feast day itself, establishing its place in the Tower’s early sacred history.
Want to see more from the Tower of London excavation?
Historic Royal Palaces have shared a fascinating two-part blog by Curator Alfred Hawkins, offering more detail on the discoveries made outside the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, including insights from the 2019 trial work and the recent excavation.
Pre-Construct Archaeology has been working with the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces on the most significant excavation at the Tower of London in a generation. The project, focused around the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula, has uncovered the remains of up to 50 individuals, far more than initially anticipated, along with rare grave goods, structural evidence of earlier chapels, and previously unknown Tudor features.
The investigation, carried out with consent from Historic England and overseen by Historic Royal Palaces ahead of lift installation works, has gone deeper than any previous excavation at the Tower since the 1970s, reaching 12th-century layers more than two metres below the surface.
The work focused on the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula, part of the Tower for centuries, yet what lay beneath remained a mystery. This site before excavation, with Tower Bridge in the background. The work here was part of essential access improvements to the Tower.
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One of the most significant outcomes of the project is the emerging picture of continuity: it now seems likely that the chapel has occupied the same footprint, with relatively minor variation, for over 800 years. The remains of what appears to be Henry I’s 12th-century chapel have been uncovered, along with fabric associated with later construction works carried out under Henry III in 1240. A distinctive layer of ash appears to match historical accounts of the fire of 1512 that destroyed the chapel built by Edward I. Above this, we have recorded the foundations of the existing Tudor chapel, constructed in 1519–20 during the reign of Henry VIII.
Earlier phases of walling beneath the current western wall of the Tudor chapel, captured during excavation. These remains help trace the evolving footprint of the chapel over centuries.
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A particularly striking find was the burial of a child in a coffin, probably dating to the time of Edward I’s chapel, which had been cut through the earlier remains of Henry I’s building. Elsewhere, the team identified Tudor walls from a previously unknown structure adjacent to the chapel. These may have been part of an early phase of the current chapel or a related building later demolished. Later use of the area is also evident, including the presence of coal storage.
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Alongside architectural remains, the excavation has revealed a diverse assemblage of burials. Some individuals appear to have been interred hurriedly, with minimal care, during the 14th century, possibly as a result of the Black Death. These earlier graves pre-date the formalised plague burial practices introduced later in Edward III’s reign. Others were treated with considerable care. One burial included two ceramic vessels, 12th–13th century pots filled with charcoal, a rare grave custom more typical of continental Europe and previously recorded only once before in England. A small fragment of shroud fabric, also recovered, represents a highly unusual survival given the preservation conditions.
Scientific analysis of the human remains, including isotope and DNA analysis, will be carried out as part of a wider research project led by Historic Royal Palaces in partnership with Cardiff University. This work is expected to reveal detailed insights into the health, diet, origins and mobility of those buried here, including a high-status Tudor woman and a young boy discovered in 2019, both of whom were buried in coffins close to the chapel entrance.
Artefacts recovered during the excavation include a decorated medieval floor tile, fragments of stained and painted glass, a pendant, sewing needles, a ring, several cannon balls and a mortar. Together, these finds reflect the Tower’s complex and layered character as fortress, place of worship, community, and centre of royal power.
This important work has featured today in The Times, underscoring its national and historical significance. PCA is proud to contribute to a project that is not only transforming understanding of the Tower’s past, but also helping to shape its future.
Press Enquiries
For more information about PCA, please contact Zbigniew Pozorski, PCA Senior Project Manager: ZPozorski@pre-construct.com
For media queries relating to the archaeology project and the Tower of London, please contact the Historic Royal Palaces Press Office: press@hrp.org.uk
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