Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

Jewellery, smoking pipes and the broken remains of dinner plates and bowls more than a century-and-a-half old are just some of the exciting discoveries made by children following an archaeological dig at Roker.

Year 4 pupils from Seaburn Dene Primary School were invited to the dig at the clifftop site of the Roker Gun Battery which was established in Victorian times and went on to be used as a site of coastal defence during both world wars.

In addition to the housing of two heavy artillery guns, the site, which is now a grassed recreational area, was once home to four trenches with barracks for soldiers.

After arriving onsite and being given a crash course in how to dig for artefacts, the children were given their own dedicated trench to excavate and the finds came rolling in.

In addition to brickwork which formed the barrack buildings and coal for keeping warm, many of the children’s discoveries were of a more personal nature.

Sunderland children make exciting discoveries as archaeological dig reveals fascinating insight into Victorian life at Roker Gun Battery