Medieval toilet and defensive wall foundations discovered in archaeological dig at Berwick Infirmary

Archaeologists in Berwick have made a "smelly discovery" in their quest to find out more about the town's past.

The dig at Berwick Infirmary, part of the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust's £30 million project to build a new hospital, has already revealed a number of finds related to Berwick’s medieval history, including pottery and a well which contained the nearly complete remains of a pony or donkey.

But now, archaeological experts have uncovered new evidence relating to the town’s medieval fortifications - and a toilet.

According to site supervisor Holly Drinkwater, the barrel latrine was made of wooden planks bound together with twisted hazel, and was likely originally used to store food before being repurposed as a loo.

The waterlogged conditions on the site meant the wooden structure of the barrel (and its rather ripe contents) had remained well preserved over the intervening centuries.

The barrel was carefully excavated, packed and wrapped in cling film before being sent tothe York Archaeological Trust, where it is hoped the wood can be preserved and the barrelrestored to its former glory.

Holly added: "The contents of the latrine will be subject to environmental analysis to assess the presence of seeds, grains and intestinal parasites.

"These environmental remains are a goldmine for archaeologists for reconstructing past diets and will be able to tell us a great deal about the eating habits and hygiene of the residents of medieval Berwick."

However, the dig, which is being carried out by Northern Archaeological Associates, has also revealed something ‘completely unexpected’ in the the foundations of a four-metre-wide defensive wall alongside a 12-metre-wide by two-metre-deep ditch.

Site supervisor Craig Parkinson said: “They seem similar in construction to the earlier towndefences, but face the wrong direction to be obviously associated with them.

"The alignment makes more sense as part of an outer wall of the castle, but they are much further away than would be expected if that were the case.

“Are they part of either of these, do they relate somehow to the later fortifications or do they represent a phase of Berwick’s development that we were previously unaware of?

“Only a short section of wall has been uncovered so far, and unfortunately much of it seems to have been removed during earlier hospital development in the 1970s, a time when less concern was given to the preservation and recording of historic remains.”

It is hoped that further excavation work will reveal more and better-preserved sections of the wall which will help answer some of the questions that have been raised so far.