Because so many ancient graves have been discovered, restoration work at Leicester's cathedral has been put off.
The number of archaeological discoveries, including more than 1,000 graves, workers claimed put them six months behind schedule.
The project team stated their intention to reopen in November, with a visitor center following in June of the following year. .
The work is a component of a £12 point 7 million project that started in January 2022.
Around 1,000 graves have been found during excavation at the Old Song School site.
The scaffolding inside the cathedral alone took several weeks to erect, according to project director Simon Bentley.
On the site of the cathedral's Old Song School, he claimed, construction on a visitor and learning center was well under way.
However, after it was destroyed, archaeologists moved in and discovered more than they had anticipated.
Excavators claimed to have discovered 125 burials in April of last year, but the number has since multiplied tenfold. .
The number of graves discovered surprised Matthew Morris, a member of the University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS).
Given its size and the fact that we haven't been looking at a very large area, he said, "the [amount] of human remains has been a bit of a surprise.".
"A 14 by 14 meter area contains more than 1,000 burials. The churchyard, which has likely been in use for more than a thousand years, contains an astounding density of human remains. " .
Potential delays, Mr. Bentley continued, weren't "ideal," but the end result would be worthwhile.
The cathedral will be completely renewed, refreshed, and restored for future generations, he claimed, adding that the restoration work will change the structure as we currently know it.
"Unfortunately, we're about six months behind schedule, and that presents us with significant difficulties.
But the reason for that was the unexpected nature of the archaeology work and how much the archaeologists had discovered.
. "
