ARCHAEOLOGISTS have dug up 17th-century relics and sandstone structures that have been buried in a Wirral town centre for hundreds of years.

The excavation carried out in Neston?s Brook Street, by AOC Archaeology Group, began over a month ago after planning permission was granted to build a Sainsbury's store and underground car park on the site.

Before development could begin, Mark Leah, development control archaeologist for Cheshire West and Chester Council, decided archaeological work needed to be done because of the sensitivity of the site.

Neston is mentioned in the Domesday Book and so has always been an important town for archaeologists.

Anglo-Saxon stones featuring what are thought to be angels were found and restored in the town in the 19th century.

So far pottery, yards, stone footings, a typical post-medieval quarry, sandstone structures and cobbles, all from the 17th to the 19th century, have been uncovered.



But most exciting of all is the discovery of some kind of farm house structure, which can be seen on an estate map produced in 1732.

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