LONDON, ENGLAND—The Guardian reports that a team of researchers led by Chris Mayo of Pre-Construct Archaeology have uncovered the foundations of the Great Sacristy on the grounds of Westminster Abbey, which was built by Edward the Confessor in the mid-eleventh century. The Great Sacristy was erected on the site of the Abbey’s cemetery in the mid-thirteenth century by Henry III to store monks’ vestments, altar linens, and items used in the Christian Mass. In addition to the building’s foundation, the excavation revealed a stoup, or basin, thought to have been used by the monks to wash their hands before they entered the church; a lead pipe thought to have carried water to the monastery; and fragments of plaster painted with red, white, and black flowers. Before it was demolished in 1740, the structure was used as a dwelling, reflected in the collection of eighteenth-century plates, chamber pots, drinking glasses, combs, and brushes recovered at the site. For more, go to “Westminster Abbey’s Hidden History.”
Medieval Great Sacristy Uncovered at Westminster Abbey
News August 23, 2020
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