Car park longship on radar

Sep 5 2007 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Daily Post

ARCHAEOLOGISTS say they are one step closer to uncovering a Viking longship buried under a pub car park.

Experts used the most up-to- date radar technology to map the location of what they believe could be one of Britain’s most significant archaeological finds.

Yesterday, they revealed they had traced the outline of an object which matches the scale and shape of a longship, possibly from the time Vikings settled in Wirral, more than 1,000 years ago.

The vessel, if it exists, is buried under 2-3m of waterlogged clay under the Railway Inn in Meols.

Wirral-born Viking expert Professor Stephen Harding’s team used Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) equipment to pinpoint the ship’s whereabouts.

He is now seeking funds to pay for a major archaeological dig to excavate the site. He believes the ship could be carefully removed and exhibited in a museum.

Prof Harding said: “The next stage is the big one. Using the GPR technique only cost £450 but we have to think carefully about what to do next.

“Although we still don’t know what sort of vessel it is, it’s very old for sure and its Nordic clinker design, position and location suggests it may be a transport vessel from the Viking settlement period if not long afterwards. Scandinavian influence persisted here through the centuries.

“It is speculation at the moment but at least we now know exactly where to look to find out. How it got there is also hard to say. It is some distance from the present coastline and probably the old one too. It might have got to its present position after flooding and sinking into an old marsh.”

The ship was first uncovered in 1938 when the Railway Inn was being knocked down and rebuilt further away from the road, the old pub being made into a car park.

Workers unearthed part of an old clinker-built vessel but were advised by the foreman to cover it over again so as not to delay construction.

Prof Harding thinks there is a possibility of accessing the boat from the pub cellar, which could allow members of the public to view it from this point.

lizawilliams