Excavations at Arbroath Abbey Visitor Centre

Excavations in 2000, in advance of the construction of a new Arbroath Abbey Visitor Centre, uncovered part of the original wall around the medieval abbey together with a fragment of a previously unknown gateway and traces of a metalled roadway into the abbey precinct itself.

Part of the newly-discovered section of the abbey precinct wall

 The wall is some 3m to 4m out from the present wall around the abbey, and lying between the two walls were four human burials.  The present burial ground in the abbey is post-medieval - the people of Arbroath were buried at nearby St Vigeans's in the medieval period - but the monastic burial ground may have been in the excavated area, so the remains which have been found may belong to medieval monks.

The excavations also unearthed a large number of carved stones, some with the original mason's marks, dumps of stone chippings and metalworking debris which suggest that this same area was also used by craftsmen working on the abbey.  The building of abbeys was among the huge construction projects of medieval times, and employed large numbers of skilled craftsmen and labourers, many of whom would have come to live in Arbroath when the town was founded in the late 12th century.  Finds from the excavation include coins, window glass, personal possessions and clothing items such as buckles, pottery and animal bone.

The abbey was founded in 1178 by William the Lion, and dedicated to St Thomas Beckett of Canterbury, and was originally established by monks from Kelso.  William the Lion was buried at the high altar in 1214.

Historic Scotland in collaboration with the architects, Simpson and Brown, and Angus Council, endeavoured to preserve some structural evidence within the new development.

The newly-discovered section of the abbey precinct wall (centre of picture)