Underneath a significant new project in Truro, archaeologists working with building developers have made some fascinating discoveries.
New housing, shops, and a university campus will be produced by the Pydar Street development.
A military button, clay pipes, and a marble were among the items discovered, some of which date back to the 1500s.
Senior archaeologist James Gossip of the Cornwall Archaeological Unit described it as "really exciting.".
We have found some fantastic material, he said. We are primarily examining the remains of the poor house from 1779, which was later converted into an isolation hospital for infectious diseases.
"These discoveries are genuinely exciting. They effectively bridge the fields of social history and archaeology.
"We typically examine much older sites, but here we are in the heart of Truro, where you don't often get the chance to dig, examining a site that is 200 years or so old. However, we are also discovering pottery that dates all the way back to the late medieval era, or the 1500s. ".
The dig has been assisted by students from Archbishop Benson School.
It's beautiful, according to Miss Greenwell from the school. We have never carried out anything similar before. They are enjoying discovering pottery and various small trinkets. ".
Sheila Richardson, who lived on Boscawen Row from 1947 to 1959, is among those who have been invited who were formerly residents of the neighborhood.
"I had the chance to go to the actual site where my home was — to actually stand where our house would have been," she said, adding that it was very exciting. To do that was incredibly exciting. ".
"We have discovered an old military button from an old military coat," project manager Jamie Carter said. We believe we have linked that to one of the few military personnel who formerly resided at Boscawen Row.
We are discovering pieces of the small clay smoking pipes that were manufactured in this area's former pipe factory. Then, after excavating beneath the well-known Victorian settlement, we discovered what we believe to be artifacts that could be as old as 500 years old.
All of this is very exciting.
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