Volunteers from Cornwall Heritage have helped to uncover artefacts thought to be at least 120 years old as part of recent restoration works at Sancreed Beacon near Penzance.

Situated amongst the moorland near Penzance and protected by Cornwall Heritage Trust the Beacon is part of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and West Penwith International Dark Sky Park. 

It is a designated County Wildlife Site and is shortly to become a site of special scientific interest.

Falmouth Packet: Volunteers getting stuck in at the digVolunteers getting stuck in at the dig (Image: NQ)

There were a significant number of discoveries on what proved to be a successful day for the volunteering squad as they cleared out an area of the Beacon used as a midden or refuse site.

Among the oldest finds of the day was an Elliman’s Embrocation bottle, which is thought to date from around 1880 to 1900 period.

The bottle would have originally housed a medicine made of eggs, turpentine and vinegar that was said to help with aching muscles and joints.

Falmouth Packet: The volunteers helped uncover archaeological finds thought to date back over 120 yearsThe volunteers helped uncover archaeological finds thought to date back over 120 years (Image: UGC)

Other discoveries included a well-preserved Shippams meat/fish paste jar, thought to date from the Victorian period and a A Redruth Brewery bottle thought to date from the 1930s.

Falmouth Packet: A well-preserved Shippams meat/fish paste jar, thought to date from the Victorian period. The jar is one of 15 found at the site which date from the Victorian period to the 1950sA well-preserved Shippams meat/fish paste jar, thought to date from the Victorian period. The jar is one of 15 found at the site which date from the Victorian period to the 1950s (Image: UGC)

Volunteers also supported the Trust’s archaeological team in processing and recording these finds in order to help the charity learn more about activity at Sancreed over the years.

Falmouth Packet: The team of volunteers and staff hard at work at the siteThe team of volunteers and staff hard at work at the site (Image: UGC)

Find out more about volunteering with the Trust by clicking here.