From abbey infirmary to academic accommodation

"Gloucester Cathedral is rightly famous for its Norman and Perpendicular architecture, but it is often forgotten that the religious complex has its origins in the 7th century and was later run as St Peter’s Abbey by Benedictine monks who lived and worked in the structures surrounding Abbot Serlo’s Romanesque church. The precinct is still full of their buildings, and, while some like the exquisite Great Cloister remain in their original state, many have been changed and adapted over the centuries, with layers of later development disguising their original form," writes Chiz Harward, Senior Archaeologist at Urban Archaeology. "Dulverton House is one such building: it was known to be medieval in origin, and to have included the 12th-century chapel of St Bridget and the Infirmarer’s Lodging, but over time its historic treasures had become hidden by layers of thick gloss paint and chipboard panels. With the structure never having been studied in detail, there were many questions to answer."

You can read the article in full, which was published in the September edition of Current Archaeology, here.