Lost building revealed by old photo in England
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In Leeds, England, members of South Leeds Archaeology uncovered foundations of an outbuilding more than 280 years old at Temple Newsam estate. The discovery began with a photograph taken in 1995, which showed unusual marks on the lawn that archaeologist Mike Turpin suspected might indicate buried foundations.
For years, the team believed the marks represented a hidden structure, and recent excavation confirmed their suspicions.
The foundations may relate to a building depicted in an 18th-century painting of the estate, which historians previously thought showed only a planned but never-built addition. The team dug trenches across the area of the marks, revealing the foundations beneath the grass. They also found an arrowhead potentially 5,000 years old, suggesting people used the land long before the estate existed.
Further excavation could reveal more about the building’s purpose and how it connected to other structures on the estate, such as a stable block. The archaeologists also uncovered fragments of pottery from the 1500s, window glass from the 1700s, and even debris from a 1990s music festival, illustrating the many layers of history contained within the estate grounds.
South Leeds Archaeology plans to return to Temple Newsam for another dig season, hoping to learn more about the lost building and its role in the estate’s past.
