Lost abbey found again

This from England:

An archaeological excavation has unearthed a huge lost abbey that was host to King Henry VIII's coffin within the grounds of Brentford's Syon Park.

The three day excavation programme, which finished on Thursday, May 8th, was carried out by a team of archaeological experts together with Channel Four's "Time Team", in an area adjacent to Syon House, to search for the original foundations of the lost Bridgettine Abbey.

The team uncovered the foundation walls that prove Syon House is built on the site of the lost abbey, which was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539. Archaeological data unearthed during the search suggests that the structure was of a huge scale - between the size of Kings College Chapel, in Cambridge, and Salisbury Cathedral. . .

King Henry VIII's coffin was brought to the abbey on its way to Windsor for burial - but it burst open during the night and in the morning dogs were found licking up the remains. This was regarded at the time as a divine retribution for the King's desecration of the abbey.

Posted by David on May 25, 2003 10:46 AM