Marco Pierre White’s new restaurant is likely to open later than intended, after 34 human skeletons were uncovered beneath its foundations.
Work on the new restaurant, called the MPW Steakhouse Bar & Grill, was halted after the gruesome remains were discovered by builders working on the site in Bridgwater, Somerset, as reported by the Bridgewater Press.
A £9m Mercure hotel is currently being built on the site, which will house Pierre-White’s restaurant. The discovery is not as surprising as it may first seem, given that the site is located on top of a former 16th century hospital – St John’s Hospital – which stood from 1213-1539.
Part of international group Accor, Mercure’s Bridgwater four-star hotel is due to open in late 2017 following a building and redevelopment programme led by DC Hotels.
Following the discovery, the town’s historical care group has stepped in to ensure that archaeologists are involved in the project going forward, with a Ministry of Justice licence required to remove the remains.
In a statement posted online, Bridgwater and District Civic Society vice-chair Hannah West said: “We have had to remind the various agencies involved that ancestors of local people were buried at the hospital.
“It is not the first time developers have been found destroying historical sites in Bridgwater, for example in 2012, residents found builders in Friarn Meadow digging up human remains and lying them out along the street – on that occasion developers were also supposed to have an archaeologist present.”
While Mercure Hotels or Marco have not commented on the discovery, the developer, DC Hotels, confirmed the find in a statement, first released to Bridgwater Press.
“At the request of local agencies, it was necessary to withhold information concerning some finds on the site”, it read. “We can confirm that on a small section of the site, some historical human remains were located. Specialist persons were appointed and a licence from the Ministry of Justice was obtained for the removal and transportation to a new location of the remains.”
