Neolithic flint blade and Home Guard bullets among finds unearthed on archaeology dig in Ribble Valley

Archaeological excavations on Calf Hill, a site to the north of Sabden, have been discovered over the course of several years – with everything from a Neolithic flint lithic to Second World War bullets.

Carried out by Discover Archaeology as part of the Council for British Archaeology’s Festival of Archaeology, the project has included guided walks, talks, digs and activities.

Catherine Rousseau, who started excavations on the visible earthworks with the support of local community archaeology groups in 2018, said: “The dig at Calf Hill came to an end at the weekend. What an amazing time we have had. The trenches exceeded all expectations in terms of evidence discovered.

"During our dig we have found evidence (two post holes and a drain) of a previously unknown building, probably dating from the end of the 19th century.

"We have confirmed that the circular anomaly found by a geophysical survey can be identified in the archaeological record. From the features excavated it is prehistoric and is likely to be a badly ploughed out bell barrow or disc barrow.

"Our investigations have pushed the date of use of the area back to the Neolithic thanks to a flint lithic.

"We also discovered a variety of metal finds from a variety of periods which have all been carefully mapped thanks to our metal detecting survey.

“Finally, we offered opportunities for children and young adults to take part in an excavation and much more.”