The site was excavated in 1907 under the supervision of William Henry St John Hope and Harold Brakspear, who published their findings in "The Archaeological Journal". More excavations took place between 1975-1979, directed by Jeffrey West for the Department of the Environment, in the north part of the cloister, the south transept and the south part of the choir of the abbey church, with the dual purpose of recovering the plan of the cloister walk and re-examining the early church identified by the 1907 excavation. A further was undertaken by English Heritage in 2002 and is the most comprehensive analysis and survey of the earthworks to be undertaken to date.