Saxon graves found under Croydon car park by team from Museum of London

More than a dozen Saxon graves have been discovered under a car park in Croydon as developers worked on a housing estate on the site.

Eighteen skeletons were unearthed in the Lion Green Road car park in Coulsdon by an archaeological survey which was commissioned by the council as part of the 157 homes project.

Excavations were carried out by the Museum of London Archeology (MOLA) for developer Brick by Brick in March 2021 and again a year later.

Excavations in 2021 uncovered 12 burials, and six more were discovered in 2022.

Six skeletons were found buried with iron knives in their left hands.

Previous excavations found Roman burials, an undated dog burial and two disturbed graves.

An archaeological report had to be submitted to Croydon Council as part of the development after the plans were approved in 2019. Excavations of the old car park were carried out by the Museum of London Archeology (MOLA) for the developer in March 2021 and again a year . later.

A report on the finds said that eight of the skeletons discovered were well preserved.

The report says: “The assembly of finds from within the exhumation burials at Lion Green Road has potential in dating their contexts and in the wider discussion of Saxon burial practices in the region that will emerge from this site.”

The Lion Green Road development, to be called Red Clover Gardens, is one of the final and largest projects to be completed by developer Brick by Brick.