NEVER BEFORE SEEN WIRRAL HISTORICAL TREASURES SHOWCASED IN PYRAMIDS SHOPPING CENTRE MUSEUM

A Birkenhead shopping centre will showcase amazing never before seen archaeological finds from the Wirral; dug up with the help of the public.  It features the oldest stone tool found on the Wirral; 7000 years old from the Mesolithic period; the 1st Roman pottery discovered in Bromborough and the 1st Anglo-Saxon pottery found in the village; and the arm from a 1984 Star Wars figure!

It is all part of a 6 week living museum being hosted by Pyramids Shopping Centre entitled Wirral Through The Ages, running from Monday February, 17 March 2014  to Sunday, 30 March 2014.

Shoppers will be treated to one of the most exciting and comprehensive physical histories ever presented of the Wirral and entry will be free.

Just one of the exciting displays currently being curated for the Pyramids museum will feature some of the 5,242 items found in last summer's 'Discovering Bromborough'.

The project was the brainchild of professional archaeologist Dean Paton who set up Big Heritage, a not-for-profit heritage social enterprise, and is working in partnership with Pyramids Shopping Centre to create Wirral Through The Ages.

With the help of £10,000 funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, 328 members of the community volunteered 1600 hours of their time last summer excavating 45 tonnes of soil, mostly in their back gardens.

Dean explained there was great interest in the lost arm of a Star Wars figure and felt it right to include it in the exhibition!

Apart from the exhibits, collated and professionally interpreted by Dean and field archaeologist and lecturer, Joanne Kirton, the Pyramids 'museum' will also feature three changing exhibits over the 6 weeks.

One will be the re-creation of a Roman barracks showing a gladiator being operated on, the 2nd will be a Viking house and for the final 2 weeks, a World War 1 trench.

Derek Millar, Commercial Director for Pyramids Shopping Centre, said:- "Our shoppers can look forward to a very special six-week exploration of the area where we live and work.  As the main shopping hub at the heart of Wirral's largest town, we have developed this project together with Dean at Big Heritage to celebrate our communities and showcase the very special historical treasures which we have; particularly those from the Bromborough dig.  There will be something for everyone to enjoy and we hope families will make the most of the free museum which starts at the beginning of the half term holiday."

Discovering Bromborough involved members of the community digging test pits in gardens and public spaces throughout the village which according to the Domesday Book was one of the richest estates in Cheshire, held by the Anglo-Saxon Earl Edwin.

Apart from a 'hands on' history project the idea was to instil a greater sense of belonging and pride in the community.

Dean said:- "The most important finds were the oldest stone tool from the Mesolithic period and the first ever discovered Roman and Angle-Saxon pottery in Bromborough. My personal favourite is a piece of really rare C10 or C11 Stamford Ware Anglo-Saxon pottery.  It's part of a jug or flask and is a really good indicator of this area's connection to trade. The Mesolithic stone cutting tool is the first from this period and the oldest human artefact found in the area."

All the exhibits from the Bromborough dig will be given to the Museum of Liverpool when they leave the Pyramids.

Earl Edwin was a powerful and important Anglo-Saxon Earl of Mercia. Although he did not live on the Wirral, his estate probably stretched from today's Birkenhead to Ellesmere Port, with Bromborough at its heart and with access to the sea.

Its later fortunes, after Edwin probably fled North following the successful Norman invasion of 1066, are not too well documented.

Community involvement in the dig; which was its prime aim - has been phenomenal:- "Although the project is over we are still being inundated with enquiries by members of the public, and of course the work on the finds had to be written up and made available to the community.  Now the Pyramids has given us the opportunity to curate and display the finds, which is fantastic. People really want to know what is under their feet.  This project has really brought people together around history, people now know and speak to people they had never spoken to before."

Bromborough resident Rob Henshaw, who lives opposite The Rake in Bromborough in Grade II listed Peartree Cottage (circa 1699), can vouch for that. "I have lived here seven years and a lot of neighbours I acknowledge but now I know about 10 people I would like to think of as friends with a shared interest,"he said.

Rob, who works as a company finance director in Winsford, always had an interest in local history, especially since he lives in one of the oldest inhabited houses in Bromborough.  He said:- "Dean set up the History Hut opposite and I popped in to see him and got interested in the Bromborough Dig. People thought I was mad to dig an inspection pit in the back lawn. I took part in the dig at my house, the Rectory, the old school yard, an old people's home, the park and a ladies back garden."

In Rob's garden they discovered bits of pottery and, most important, a Neolithic arrow head.

"Over the years I had found bits and pieces in the garden which I stored in a bag and Time Team's Paul Blinkhorn spent half an hour during his lunch going through them for me. You just cannot buy that; having people like him and post graduates in your garden giving you immediate analysis! We've added to the knowledge of the Wirral."said Rob.

For more information about Wirral Through The Ages go to:- pyramidsbirkenhead.com.