‘Unique’ Bronze Age wooden spade found during wetlands creation project

Experts from Wessex Archaeology carefully clean the spade of excess mud as part of the conservation process (Wessex Archaeology/PA) -

An extremely rare 3,500-year-old wooden spade has been uncovered by archaeologists working as part of a scheme to create coastal habitat.

The “once-in-a-career find” in Poole Harbour is one of the oldest, most complete wooden spades to have been discovered in the UK, with preliminary scientific data confirming it dates to the Bronze Age, archaeologists from Wessex Archaeology said.