The remains of a huge medieval castle that may have rivalled the Tower of London has been discovered under the basketball court of an abandoned prison.
Archaeologists unearthed the enormous 'tower keep', which is thought to date back to 1110, while they were investigating the site in Gloucester ahead of a redevelopment project.
The castle, which was among the first buildings to be built of stone, was thought to have been destroyed in 1787 and the Gloucester prison built on top.
Is this a rival to the Tower of London? 'Huge' medieval castle discovered buried beneath a prison's BASKETBALL court
By Richard Gray for MailOnline
8 December 2015
Daily Mail
The remains of a huge medieval castle that may have rivalled the Tower of London has been discovered under the basketball court of an abandoned prison.
Archaeologists unearthed the enormous 'tower keep', which is thought to date back to 1110, while they were investigating the site in Gloucester ahead of a redevelopment project.
The castle, which was among the first buildings to be built of stone, was thought to have been destroyed in 1787 and the Gloucester prison built on top.
The remains of a medieval keep have been discovered under the exercise yard and basketball court of Gloucester Prison (pictured). Archaeologists say the keep, which had walls up to 12 feet wide and measured around 100 feet in length, would have resembled the Tower of London
But archaeologists say they have been 'surprised' to find many of the ruins still intact less than two feet (60cm) below the prison's old exercise yard.
They say the design would have resembled Canterbury Castle and the Tower of London.
Neil Holbrook, chief executive of Cotswold Archaeology who led the excavation, said: 'It would have been a powerful symbol of Norman architecture.
'As you came to Gloucester you would have seen the cathedral and the castle, which is representative of how important the city was in Norman Britain.'
The keep wall is more than 12 feet wide and the building is estimated to have been 98 feet (30m) long and 65 feet (20m) across.
It housed three chapels, two drawbridges and a royal chamber for both the King and Queen.
The building is thought to have served as the dominant fortress in the Gloucester area after it was built before being used as the city jail for 200 years ahead of its destruction in 1780.
It appears, however, rather than completely remove the structure, the new prison was merely built on top of it.
Neil Holbrook, chief executive of Cotswold Archaeology, said: 'I am surprised by what we found.
'I knew there was a castle but I had expected more of it to have been destroyed.'
HM Prison Gloucester was built on top of the original castle in 1791 and more recently it was used to house category B prisoners before it was closed in 2013. It is now due to be redeveloped
The castle keep was around 100 feet long and 65 feet across, according to archaeologists. It housed three chapels, two drawbridges and a royal chamber for both the King and Queen. Archaeologist said they were 'surprised' so much of the walls had survived beneath the prison's basketball court (pictured)
Gloucester Prison closed in March 2013 and was bought by City and Country Group, which is running a public consultation on its future use.
It is not yet decided what elements of the castle will be taken into account when constructing the new build.
City and Country are considering what to do with the site and as a result of the dig finds they have altered plans to include elements of the site's history.
Archaeologists had assumed the castle had been totally destroyed when it was demolished in the 18th century. They said the remains (pictured) give an idea of how important Gloucester was in Norman Britain
The ruined castle beneath Gloucester Prison may have looked like the Tower of London (above) and Canterbury Castle (below) in its prime, according to the archaeologists leading the excavation
THE PRISON ON TOP OF A CASTLE
HM Prison Gloucester (above) was designed by William Blackburn as a County Gaol that opened in 1791 and was substantially rebuilt in 1840 with additional wings.
It was built on the site of a Normal castle that had previously served as the city's jail for around 200 years.
More recently it served as a Category B prison and at one point was considered to be one of the most overcrowded jails in the United Kingdom.
In 2013 the prison was closed and it is now due to be redeveloped.
There are thought to be a number of unmarked graves, where executed prisoners were buried.
Medieval castle discovered beneath HM Prison Gloucester to rival Tower of London | Daily Mail Online
Archaeologists unearthed the enormous 'tower keep', which is thought to date back to 1110, while they were investigating the site in Gloucester ahead of a redevelopment project.
The castle, which was among the first buildings to be built of stone, was thought to have been destroyed in 1787 and the Gloucester prison built on top.
Is this a rival to the Tower of London? 'Huge' medieval castle discovered buried beneath a prison's BASKETBALL court
By Richard Gray for MailOnline
8 December 2015
Daily Mail
The remains of a huge medieval castle that may have rivalled the Tower of London has been discovered under the basketball court of an abandoned prison.
Archaeologists unearthed the enormous 'tower keep', which is thought to date back to 1110, while they were investigating the site in Gloucester ahead of a redevelopment project.
The castle, which was among the first buildings to be built of stone, was thought to have been destroyed in 1787 and the Gloucester prison built on top.
The remains of a medieval keep have been discovered under the exercise yard and basketball court of Gloucester Prison (pictured). Archaeologists say the keep, which had walls up to 12 feet wide and measured around 100 feet in length, would have resembled the Tower of London
But archaeologists say they have been 'surprised' to find many of the ruins still intact less than two feet (60cm) below the prison's old exercise yard.
They say the design would have resembled Canterbury Castle and the Tower of London.
Neil Holbrook, chief executive of Cotswold Archaeology who led the excavation, said: 'It would have been a powerful symbol of Norman architecture.
'As you came to Gloucester you would have seen the cathedral and the castle, which is representative of how important the city was in Norman Britain.'
The keep wall is more than 12 feet wide and the building is estimated to have been 98 feet (30m) long and 65 feet (20m) across.
It housed three chapels, two drawbridges and a royal chamber for both the King and Queen.
The building is thought to have served as the dominant fortress in the Gloucester area after it was built before being used as the city jail for 200 years ahead of its destruction in 1780.
It appears, however, rather than completely remove the structure, the new prison was merely built on top of it.
Neil Holbrook, chief executive of Cotswold Archaeology, said: 'I am surprised by what we found.
'I knew there was a castle but I had expected more of it to have been destroyed.'
HM Prison Gloucester was built on top of the original castle in 1791 and more recently it was used to house category B prisoners before it was closed in 2013. It is now due to be redeveloped
The castle keep was around 100 feet long and 65 feet across, according to archaeologists. It housed three chapels, two drawbridges and a royal chamber for both the King and Queen. Archaeologist said they were 'surprised' so much of the walls had survived beneath the prison's basketball court (pictured)
Gloucester Prison closed in March 2013 and was bought by City and Country Group, which is running a public consultation on its future use.
It is not yet decided what elements of the castle will be taken into account when constructing the new build.
City and Country are considering what to do with the site and as a result of the dig finds they have altered plans to include elements of the site's history.
Archaeologists had assumed the castle had been totally destroyed when it was demolished in the 18th century. They said the remains (pictured) give an idea of how important Gloucester was in Norman Britain
The ruined castle beneath Gloucester Prison may have looked like the Tower of London (above) and Canterbury Castle (below) in its prime, according to the archaeologists leading the excavation
THE PRISON ON TOP OF A CASTLE
HM Prison Gloucester (above) was designed by William Blackburn as a County Gaol that opened in 1791 and was substantially rebuilt in 1840 with additional wings.
It was built on the site of a Normal castle that had previously served as the city's jail for around 200 years.
More recently it served as a Category B prison and at one point was considered to be one of the most overcrowded jails in the United Kingdom.
In 2013 the prison was closed and it is now due to be redeveloped.
There are thought to be a number of unmarked graves, where executed prisoners were buried.
Medieval castle discovered beneath HM Prison Gloucester to rival Tower of London | Daily Mail Online
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