London, Nov 29 (ANI): The remains of the palace of a medieval Bishop have been uncovered by a team of archaeologists digging at the site of a Roman temple in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, England.

According to a report in Hereford Times, historians have been searching for the place from the past 300 years, but its exact location has eluded them till now.

Both the palace and the Roman digs owe their exposure to John Kyrle, an English philanthropist.

Whats been uncovered is a lost palace and a hidden legacy. John Kyrle now has as much a part to play in the future for Ross as he has had with its past, said Herefordshire county archaeologist Dr Keith Ray.

Its a significant find and completely unexpected, the first glimpse weve had of such a palace, he said.

A time team from Leominster-based Border Archaeology, working on behalf of Herefordshire Council, uncovered a large stone wall while digging out to see how far the Roman site went.

The wall was found to be around 800 years old, which dates it to the palace, and it is substantial enough to have served the purpose attributed to it.

On the evidence so far, the archaeologists think theyve uncovered the foundations of the palaces great hall where the bishop would receive petitioners while seated on a throne.

There is no known visual representation of what the palace might have looked like, but in documentary references, it appears to have dominated Ross and probably had at least three towers standing to some height.

When the bishop was in residence, the palace would have housed around 100 people.

Herefordshires medieval bishops were powerful figures and kept various grand houses around the diocese.

Almost nothing is left of any of these houses now, they fell out of favour as upkeep costs rose.

The Ross palace is thought to have fallen into disrepair long before its last traces were lost between the late 1690s and early 1700s.

A protective covering has been put over the wall as work continues, there are plans to put both the sites on public view next month. (ANI)