Archaeological finds unearthed during the current restoration and refurbishment work on Falmouth's historic Chain Locker have revealed the pub could be older than first thought and may actually date back to the 17th century.

Work on the restoration and refurbishment of the St Austell Brewery pub on Custom House Quay has been delayed because of some "remarkable" archaeological finds and due to the remedial work needed being greater than originally thought.

According to site agent Tim Frampton, the infrastructure of the main Chain Locker building was in a far worse state than originally imagined, which has caused a slow down to the schedule as new plans to rescue and preserve the site are put into place.

“When we started peeling back the layers of the different building works across the centuries we discovered at least ten inches of subsidence down the main entrance wall," said Tim. "This is something that simply couldn’t have been envisaged until the building was opened up. Three extra floors have been put into the building over the years to compensate for the drop and we couldn’t have known the severity of the problem until we took these up.”

At one point during the works, the entire weight of the building, up to 40 tonnes, was resting on one damp and decidedly dismal brick pillar, a situation that has now been remedied through the ingenuity of the construction team on site. Plans for a special raft design within a steel frame have been drafted which will be attached to the front wall and enable St Austell Brewery to restore the pub as close to its former glory as possible.

Tim added: “Everything is being done to maintain the character and feel of the old place, even down to photographing and marking every single piece of bric-a-brac that came down off the walls so that we can put them back up exactly as they were.”

Some aspects of the old place will change, however, due to some unexpected discoveries behind the century old plasterwork. Sean Taylor, archaeology projects officer from the Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU), explained: “We were commissioned by St Austell Brewery to undertake historic building recording as a result of the major structural works required at the Chain Locker. This historic listed building was thought to be 18th to early 19th century in date but recording by CAU has revealed that the origins of the building may go back as far as the late 17th century.”

Not only is the building older than first imagined, but some of the earliest features of the place are still in situ, including an original earth and hair plaster-bounded wall, a timber partition wall featuring hand-painted wallpaper and a stone-built fireplace.

Tim Frampton was astonished by the discoveries, adding: “I’ve been doing this for 40 years and rarely do you come across finds like this, especially in commercial buildings that traditionally get rebuilt and altered across the years.”

The team hope that many of these features can be preserved and incorporated into the restoration, although all need to be recorded properly before any work can continue. This has caused some necessary delay to the overall works but, as St Austell Brewery estate director Adam Luck said: “We always knew that the Chain Locker project was going to be an immensely complex undertaking but that the end results would more than justify the works involved. These amazing archaeological finds, while they will delay the ultimate completion date, can only add to the character and charm of the building and make it an even more significant attraction in Falmouth.”

St Austell Brewery offers thanks to all neighbours of the site, and in particular the Falmouth Harbour Commission who own the quay, for their support, patience and understanding as the renovations continue.

Tim said: “At the end of the day it all comes down to safety. Structural work has to be done in a sequence of events to ensure it is completed in a safe manner. We would all love to get the project finished early, but not at the expense of someone getting hurt.”

The building work is now expected to be complete in July, with a grand opening planned to unveil the previously hidden secrets of the old pub as part of the overall refurbishment to restore the Chain Locker as a major hospitality attraction in the heart of the town.