Archaeologists in search of a Viking boat have given an update on the project.
In 1938, the remains of a clinker-built boat were found when workers were digging the foundations of The Railway pub in Meols. It is said that they were told to cover it and carry on building the pub, in order to meet a tight schedule and finish the building.
A radar search was commissioned around eight years ago, which confirmed a boat was indeed underneath the pub's patio. The dig started on February 18 and finished last week.
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The lead archaeologist Charles Jones said: "I thank everyone that helped for your time, energy, and ideas which allowed us to find the boat. As a result of the building work in 1938 and the disruption to the preservative layer, it is now clear that only the fibres had survived in the wood.
"Because of its fragile nature, I have ordered a spray system to slowly flush the silt that is holding the wood in place. I am quietly confident that this careful work will reveal the shape and give a good estimate size of our boat."
Once this has been completed the wood fibres will be tested in Nottingham, Oslo, and Trondheim to be carbon-dated, and is expected to be completed by June. It is hoped that a reconstruction of the vessel will then take place.
The dig was undertaken by Viking expert Professor Stephen Harding from Nottingham University and Wirral Archaeology CIC. The project hopes to settle once and for all if the boat is of Viking origin.
Charles continued: "It was a real challenge to locate it at such depth, surrounded by so many obstacles and I very much appreciate the way we solved the problem together."
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