Important Saxon find in car park

The excavation will be carried out between 13 and 29 August.

The remains of a Saxon rotunda in Herefordshire is being hailed as a site of international importance.

Archaeologists will begin next month excavating the area in Leominster which is currently being used as a staff car park for Herefordshire Council workers.

The rotunda is thought to be part of a monastery founded by one of Britain's ancient rulers.

Archaeologist Bruce Watson said it was expected to be the "best preserved example of its type in England".

Mr Watson, from the Museum of London Archaeology Service, coordinating the dig, said: "This is a tremendously important find - an opportunity to re-write the early history of Christianity."

He said the excavation would help them to learn more about the history of the site which was a significantly religious area in Saxon times.

The structure is part of a site occupied by the medieval priory established by Henry I in 1123 and demolished by Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.

The excavation will be carried out between 13 and 29 August.