AN AIR raid shelter from the Second World War has been discovered during a three day archaeological dig in a North-East village.

Hartlepool’s history is being explored this week as Tees Archaeology teams up with the community to excavate Elwick Village Green.

Three trenches have been unearthed and a variety of historical artefacts uncovered including coins dating back to 1913, traces of a blacksmith shop and the air raid shelter.

Tees Archaeology officer Robin Daniels said: “We’ve found a lot of iron which suggests that this was once where the village blacksmith worked, shoeing horses and repairing tools.

“We hope that the excavations will help us identify more specifically when the village was established and perhaps tell us more about what was on the site earlier.”

Elwick is a medieval village established by the Normans around 900 years ago. Mr Daniels said archaeologists are rarely able to examine such villages which may contain the remains of earlier villages.

The dig is part of a wider project called ‘Elwick Village Atlas’, which is funded by the Limestone Landscape Partnership and financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The scheme takes a practical approach to researching village history and began with workshops in April this year.

Research of old maps, aerial photographs and historical documents has been carried out alongside oral history sessions where the memories of older residents have been recorded to contribute to the project.

Brian Footitt, chairman of Elwick Village Atlas Steering Group, said: “Local people are really enjoying the Elwick Village Atlas project and have been looking forward to taking part in the excavation and finding out what lies beneath the village green.”

Excavation started yesterday, Thursday, July 18, and will continue until Saturday, July 20.

Members of the public are welcome to visit the excavation between 10am and 3pm on any of the three days.

The project is part of the Council for British Archaeology’s national Festival of Archaeology, which is running from July 13 to July 28. Details are available at archaeologyfestival.org.uk