Hidden Roman monument under city centre shopping centre to reopen for public tours

By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democray Reporter

Tours of a Roman monument under a Gloucester city centre shopping centre could soon return.

The King’s Bastion, which is a remarkable and important monument hidden beneath the King’s Walk Shopping Centre in Gloucester, has today been taken off the Heritage at Risk Register.

Historic England’s register gives an annual snapshot of the health of the country’s valued historic buildings and places.

It helps to ensure they can be protected and continue to be enjoyed in the future.

The King’s Bastion, is two metres below ground level and below the water table, pumps ensure the chamber is kept dry.

But in 2022 the pumps failed and the chamber flooded, leading to the monument being placed on the Register.

Now, thanks to the hard work of Gloucester City Council’s asset management department the pumps are working, the site is accessible and inspected regularly to ensure there is no lasting environmental damage.

It includes the standing remains of a length of the Roman city walls, nearly three metres high in places, and the remains of a mediaeval defensive tower built onto the Roman walls, probably on the orders of Henry III.

The remains were found when the shopping centre was built in the 1960s and were preserved in an underground chamber. The council hopes to open the King’s Bastion again to public tours in 2025

Planning cabinet member Sarah Sawyer (LD, Longlevens) said: “The council is delighted that Historic England, in response to these improvements, is removing the monument from the Heritage at Risk Register.

“We remain committed to the care and maintenance of all historic monuments and buildings in our ownership.”

City Archaeologist Andrew Armstrong said the King’s Bastion highlights how special the heritage of Gloucester is.

He said the council’s aspiration is to improve access to the site and then open it up to the public for more visits.

“This is quite dramatic. Its scale as well makes a lot of people quite surprised,” he said. “It’s an example of how special the heritage of Gloucester is. It’s a beautiful gem.

“If you’ve ever been to the Museum you can see the continuation of the wall running through the museum towards the corner with Parliament Street.

“What we are hoping is to get the lights sorted out. An aspiration is to have more air and then talk to the Civic Trust about getting this site accessible again.”

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