Monday 10 September 2007

'Viking longship' discovered under pub car park

Archaeologists have discovered what they believe to be a Viking longship buried beneath a pub car park in Merseyside.

The vessel - a 1,000-year-old relic from the Norse occupation of the Wirral peninsular - was detected using state-of-the-art ground radar technology.

The site has not yet been excavated, but the dimensions and shape of the boat revealed by the scan match those of the Vikings' iconic transport vessels.

It is thought to lie beneath 6ft to 10ft (2m to 3m) of waterlogged clay under the nearby Railway Inn in Meols.

Parts of a ship were originally uncovered by workmen in the 1930s, when the original pub was knocked down and rebuilt further away from the road and a car park put in its place.

Read the rest of this article...