Surviving parts of a monastery, set up by King James I of Scotland almost 470 years ago, may have been found in an old drain in Perth. The Charterhouse, established for Carthusian monks, included a lavishly decorated church before its demolition.
During an excavation last month, archaeologists and volunteers uncovered an 18th-century culvert. This culvert, which once drained waste water from King James VI Hospital, appeared to have been partly made using stone from the torn-down monastery.
Flat stones covering the top of the drain are believed to be medieval masonry. Dr Gavin Lindsay, an archaeologist, noted clear chisel marks on the stones, suggesting they were carefully worked and more elaborate than typical drain materials from the 1700s. Stone floor slabs found also showed smooth surfaces, possibly from years of people walking on them.
Volunteers involved in the Perth Charterhouse Project also found pieces of pottery that are likely medieval, alongside 19th and 20th-century fragments. The stones from the drain and pottery fragments will undergo further examination by specialists.
The project's next stages include studying archives for more information about the monastery and informing the local community about the findings. Residents of Perth have also been asked to look out for more reused masonry, with fragments already identified in Perth Station's retaining wall and garden boundary walls.