Archaeology
Leasowe Lighthouse in 1900. Image courtesy of the Friends of Leasowe Lighthouse
Between 24 September and 19 October 2007 the Field Archaeology Unit of National Museums Liverpool led a community excavation in the Meols and Leasowe areas, funded by Wirral Borough Council as part of Wirral’s contribution to the Year of Heritage.
The excavation aimed to investigate the archaeology of the north Wirral coast, around Leasowe and Meols, an area which has revealed interesting finds in the past. The site is of national importance yet we know very little about how much survives of the early settlements.
It also enabled local people to try their hand at archaeology and learn more about the work of archaeologists.
The dig focussed on the area around Leasowe Lighthouse, and some smaller trenches were also excavated close to the shore at Meols. The sites chosen are all close to areas which produced finds or structures in the 19th century. Our archaeologists were hoping to find evidence of the structures which once stood in this area, and how they were used.
The second photograph on the right shows part of the excavated floor of one of the buildings which once stood next to Leasowe lighthouse, which was uncovered during the dig.
There were initially some ideas that the floor of the building was slate, and flat slates were found, but small holes in them suggested they had been used as roof tiles, and then, as they were lifted a brick floor started to be revealed underneath.
The excavated brick floor and flat slates that were found on top
You can read more detailed progress reports from our staff that were posted on the National Museums Liverpool blog as the dig progressed:
The project is timely as a major new book 'Meols - The Archaeology of the North Wirral Coast' is being published in December 2007 by Oxford University. The book places the remarkable ancient finds from the area in a national context.
This is the culmination of eight years' work by National Museums Liverpool's head of field archaeology, Robert Philpott, Dr David Griffiths of Oxford University and Dr Geoff Egan of the Museum of London specialist services, working with a team of scholars.
The book contains numerous illustrations of finds from Meols dating from prehistoric through to Roman and medieval finds, including many coins. It should be of interest not only to those interested in the history and archaeology of the North West but also metal detector users and museum curators trying to identify or date finds.
The research for the book will now be followed by fieldwork, including excavation, fieldwalking and survey, to shed light on settlement and activity connected with the important ancient port at Meols.