Car park where body of famous English king found declared historic monument

LONDON, Dec.21 (Xinhua) -- The car park where the remains of one of England's most famous kings was discovered was Thursday granted official protection as a historic site.

The skeleton of King Richard III, slain during the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, were unearthed during an excavation of a car park in Leicester in 2013.

The ordinary looking council-run car park had been built on the site of an old religious friary.

Historic England recommended that protection status should be granted to what it described as one of the most important sites in the country's national history.

John Glen, parliamentary under secretary of state for arts, heritage and tourism agreed, and it was announced Thursday the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) have granted protection to the site by including it on Britain's list of heritage sites.

Glen said: "The discovery of Richard III's skeleton was an extraordinary archaeological find and an incredible moment in British history. By protecting this site as a scheduled monument, we are ensuring that the remains of this once lost medieval friary buried under Leicester are preserved for future generations."

Confirmation the remains were of King Richard III came from experts from the University of Leicester who analysed DNA from the bones and found they matched that of descendants of the monarch's family.

Mayor of Leicester, Peter Soulsby, said: "The discovery and identification of King Richard III's remains was a remarkable achievement. These events marked an unforgettable time for our city. We've already honored this discovery with a world-class tourist attraction in the King Richard III visitor center and the scheduling of this site will help to ensure this remarkable discovery is protected for future generations to enjoy." Enditem