ARCHAEOLOGISTS preparing the ground for a new building at an Anglo-Saxon village have discovered the remains of three pits dating back 1,500 years.The unexpected find, at the site in West Stow, near Bury St Edmunds, was made during preparation work for a new timber construction that will be home to heritage displays and study facilities when it opens in the summer.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS preparing the ground for a new building at an Anglo-Saxon village have discovered the remains of three pits dating back 1,500 years.

The unexpected find, at the site in West Stow, near Bury St Edmunds, was made during preparation work for a new timber construction that will be home to heritage displays and study facilities when it opens in the summer.

It is now hoped that a mysterious black substance in the pits will help answer age-old questions about their purpose, and give a better understanding of Anglo-Saxon life.

Alan Baxter, heritages services manager at St Edmundsbury Borough Council said: “The secrets that they yield will enhance our understanding of Anglo-Saxon life, and give visitors to the village an in-depth experience of how it would have felt to live in the original thriving, agrarian community.”

Although building work - which will proceed once the archaeologists leave the site on December 31 - will destroy the pits, the find will be fully documented for academic use.