WORK starts today on an archaeological dig which hopes to reveal historical evidence from the 13th century which saw the expulsion of the Jews from England under Edward I.

Wessex Archaeology will be conducting excavations on Copenhagen Street car park in the city.

The car park occupies an area within the limits of the most ancient part of the city and excavations are anticipated to reveal evidence of Roman and medieval defences, as well as the remains of Worcester’s Jewish Quarter during the medieval period.

The site was also occupied from the mid18thcentury by the first porcelain factory in the city.

Faithful History, a non-profit organisation, shared on Facebook: “Excavations in Little Fish Street in 1958 uncovered the remains of a ditch, running east to west which was suggested to have been a part of the Roman circuit of defences.

“If this is the case then it seems plausible, if not likely that the defences would continue west towards the river, crossing through what is now Copenhagen Street Car Park.

”The boundary between the car park and the river path marks the original western perimeter of the medieval city wall, probably built at the end of the 12th century. In the 1960s an investigation here uncovered evidence of the wall running down to a depth of seven metres.

“There’s a documented presence of a Jewish community in Worcester dating from the mid-12th century. The Victoria County History, edited by J.Willis Bund asserts that the medieval Jewish population of Worcester was significant enough that in 1241 an assembly of Jewish notables from around the country met here.

“The later part of the 13th century saw the eventual expulsion of the Jews from England under Edward I. It’s believed that during the 12th and 13th centuries, the Jewish community in Worcester was centred around the area of Copenhagen Street and so excavations are anticipated to uncover some evidence of this.”

The social media post continued: “With the construction of the Technical College buildings and subsequent car park in the 1960s, the long and varied history here was paved over. Whilst this may at first seem abhorrent, we can take solace in the knowledge that this act helped to preserve the now-hidden history beneath so that archaeologists today can explore what lies beneath.”