Following the recent accession of our new king, Charles III, it seems a good time to explore the history of one of the most-senior but least-well-understood royal residences in London: St James’s Palace. This month’s cover highlights the splendour of its buildings, but its story is turbulent and often surprising, beginning on the site of a medieval leper hospital, later serving as a 17th-century army garrison and prison, and remaining the official base for the royal court today. From palaces to Roman villas, a site-type that is also often associated with luxurious living, excavations near Bristol have provided a rare … Continue reading Current Archaeology 394