Archaeologists find 'lost' site depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry

By reinterpreting previous excavations and conducting new surveys, the team from Newcastle University, UK, together with colleagues from the University of Exeter, believe they have located a power centre belonging to Harold Godwinson, who was killed in the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Bosham, on the coast of West Sussex, is depicted twice in the Bayeux Tapestry, which famously narrates the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 when William, Duke of Normandy, challenged Harold for the throne. The Tapestry culminates in Williams's victory at Hastings, but earlier in the artwork Bosham is shown as the place where Harold enjoys a feast in an extravagant hall before setting sail for France, and again on his return...

The team of archaeologists used a range of methods to unpick the early history of the property, including a geophysical survey of the surrounding area, assessment of standing remains, scrutiny of maps and records, and re-examination of evidence from excavations carried out in 2006 by West Sussex Archaeology...

In the past decade or so archaeologists have begun to recognise a trend in England, beginning during the 10th century AD, for high-status houses to integrate toilets. The discovery of the latrine therefore indicated to the team that the timber building was of elite status, and almost certainly represents part of Harold's residence illustrated on the Bayeux Tapestry. The hall was one part of a more extensive complex, that also included a church, which still survives.