How these were combined to produce an accurate map.

Greyfriars – pinpoint accuracy thanks to geophys

The 1970s saw some of the most thorough archaeological studies of Greyfriars, the site of the first Franciscan Friary in Britain, founded in 1224. However the findings, by archaeologist Louise Millard, weren't published, so the extensive plans and diagrams are still largely in note form.

Time Team is trying to improve the quality of this archive and establish the exact lay-out and position of the Franciscan cloisters. The task of Bernard Thomason and his team was to piece together the data from Millard's excavations and try to apply them to the site as it is today, by tying the data into modern features such as fences.

Then came John Gater and his geophysics team. Their survey showed evidence of walls and other disturbed areas and demonstrated that, while Bernard's team had identified the correct elements and layout, the locations were about 2 metres out. Using the geophys and the existing archaeological findings, Bernard had been able to create what he hopes is an accurate plan of the site.

Excavations at the Live will attempt to find the walls and other elements to show exactly how accurate it is.

Return to maps