British Amateur Archaeologists Have Found The Lost Tudor Palace

A small team of amateur archaeologists from the Collyweston Historical and Preservation Society, consisting of over 80 members ranging from teenagers to people in their 70s and 80s, discovered the walls of the lost Tudor palace in the garden of local residents in Northamptonshire county. The structure belonged to Henry VII's mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort.

This was reported by The Guardian.

The search for the Tudor palace began in 2018. At that time, enthusiastic archaeologists collected and analyzed local legends and rumors to understand the potential location of the structure.

"Many of us were brought up in the village, and you hear about this lost palace, and wonder whether it’s a myth or real. So we just wanted to find it. But we’re a bunch of amateurs. We had no money, no expertise, no plans, no artist impressions to go off, and nothing remaining of the palace. It’s naivety and just hard work that has led us to it," emphasized Chris Close, head of the Collyweston Historical and Preservation Society.

This year, enthusiasts conducted a "geophysical investigation" using a ground-penetrating radar and discovered the palace walls in the middle of the garden of local residents.

"We’ve done it all on an absolute shoestring. We’ve basically done an £80,000-£90,000 project for roughly £13,000. For us, being a little society, to have achieved this with no money, or expertise, or plans, I think it’s something that the whole society should be proud of," added Close.

Historians from the University of York analyzed elements of stone carvings and confirmed the authenticity of the discovery. Now, scientists are collaborating with the Collyweston community to study and preserve the palace.

The Tudor palace has been known since the 15th century. In 1503, festivities were held here in honor of the engagement of Margaret Tudor and Scottish King James IV. In October 1541, Henry VIII visited the palace.

During the excavations, the community managed to find several records indicating that Collyweston controlled the secret councils of the entire kingdom - which has significant national importance.

Until the 17th century, the Tudor palace decayed, and any signs of its existence disappeared. In the 1980s and 90s, various attempts were made to find the structure, but without modern technology, none of the "expeditions" were successful.

Recall that it was previously known that in the Italian city of Naples, a painting by Sandro Botticelli worth 100 million euros, considered lost for over 50 years, was found.