Archaeological News: Archaeologist who found king's grave to get honour:
FOR as long as the Queen has been on the throne, Kent archaeologist Brian Philp has been excavating and protecting threatened historical sites.
But when he was called in to excavate a site in Faversham in 1965, he had no idea he was about to discover one of the most significant buildings in the town’s history.
Once a dominating church the size of Canterbury Cathedral, Faversham’s Royal Abbey was destroyed and the site lost for more than 400 years before digging began at what is now the grounds of Queen Elizabeth Grammar School.
An eight-week excavation, undertaken as the site was about to be developed, revealed a large church, 361-feet long and which was proven to be the royal mausoleum of King Stephen, who reigned between 1135 and 1154.
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