16th century well has been discovered ahead of Jedburgh building demolition

A 16th century well has been discovered ahead of the demolition of a Jedburgh building.

Preparation works at 2 High Street, Jedburgh were underway when the well was unearthed, but now it's thought that the original time scale of 34 weeks (due to be finished in July) will now be pushed back.

The building is due to be demolished following the Scottish Borders Council being granted a compulsory purchase order last year.

Contractors have been working to clean up the site and improve access routes around the building as well as making alterations to the surrounding area including installing a temporary electric supply and altering the street lighting in preparation for further works to take place.

Significant steelwork is required to be installed which will support the shared gable wall to the high street and will be used in the construction of the proposed future development of the site.

Given the fragile state of the building, a gradual controlled dismantling is required in order to dismantle the building safely.

The completion timescale is now being reassessed due to the discovery of the well.

Gordon Edgar, Executive Member for Infrastructure, Travel and Transport for Scottish Borders Council said: "After lengthy delays, it’s encouraging to see progress being made at 2 High Street Jedburgh meaning the controlled demolition of the building is nearing ever closer.

"I’m conscious that there is a lot of public interest in this project and that locals are eager to see quick progress made on the demolition of the building and its subsequent replacement.

"In order to safely demolish this building, a number of significant works need to be carried out to initially stabilise the building before a gradual process of dismantling can take place.

"This process of controlled dismantling is extremely complex and requires a great deal of care. Since beginning the project in December a number of unforeseen and additional works have been identified which mean the overall completion date will be later than anticipated."

A new apartment block, which will incorporate stone from the original building, will be built following the demolition.