Bringing Wirral's past back to life
Researching our past, to improve our future.
Welcome to Wirral Archaeology’s website. Wirral Archaeology is a local voluntary group dedicated to archaeological analysis, research, and the interpretation of Wirral’s forgotten historic past.
This website will constantly evolve as our investigations progress and we will continually update it. The theories outlined here at present may also change with the discovery of new information, and scientific data. That is the nature of these investigations.
We have several fascinating projects investigating Wirral’s unique local heritage. Learn more about these on the dedicated pages.
Our aim is to promote serious professional analysis of Wirral’s historic past, to raise community awareness of Wirral’s history, and use professional methodologies to jointly investigate local archaeology and history with several universities, scientists and historians.
Current Projects
The Search for the Battle of Brunanburh.
Battle of Brunanburh, 937AD.
This forgotten battle is regarded by most historians as the event that created the English nation; but where is took place has been lost for centuries. There have been many attempts to locate the battlefield, but these have been based on trying to interpret a few clues and information taken from manuscripts written sometimes hundreds of years later. None of them have been able to firmly place the symbol of crossed swords on a map to show where the battle was.
The boat beneath the car park
The boat in the carpark
In 1938 workmen who were building the Railway Inn at Meols found what they described as “a Viking boat” in one of their excavations. They were told to ignore it and get on with the work of building the pub. No other investigations were carried out. A year later World War II started so there were other more urgent priorities to deal with.
Wirrals Roman Roads.
Wirrals Roman Roads.
Over a period of many years, we have researched the suspected Roman road network of the Wirral peninsula, as time and other projects have allowed. There is clear evidence of at least two roads, one running directly from Chester to Meols, and the other aligned on a point close to Bidston village. Modern development has obliterated some of the alignment of these roads, but enough remains to plot their courses.
The Cheshire Shore
The Cheshire Shore
Wirral has a fascinating history along our sea-coast to the Irish Sea that has been long forgotten by most people including communities living in the area. We hope that this project will help to revive interest in the history of this area, and its place in our local and national heritage.