REMAINS of a medieval home have been unearthed during an archaeological dig at Weymouth's North Quay site, which is due to be transformed into luxury flats, it has been revealed.

History lovers had fought for archaeological digs to take place at the site due to fears historic gems could be lost forever once the site is developed.

Archaeologists working at the site have now revealed that the remains of a medieval house, thought to have been built between the 12th and 15th centuries, has been discovered.

Dorset Echo: Left, the stone wall of an 18th Century building, right, A possible corner of a stone wall foundation, believed to be from the late medieval period Pictures: Context OneLeft, the stone wall of an 18th Century building, right, A possible corner of a stone wall foundation, believed to be from the late medieval period Pictures: Context One

In January, Dorset Council announced plans to turn Weymouth's eyesore former council offices into luxury housing. This led to demands for an archaeological investigation from members of the public who believed there could be hidden gems underneath the site, which was a location of action during the Battle of Weymouth in the Civil War in 1645.

READ MORE: Archaeological investigation to take place around North Quay offices

In response to the public outcry, the council joined forces with Context One, a company that specialises in archaeological evaluation, which recommended four trenches be dug in the areas which have been least disturbed over the years and would be most likely to reveal if findings of an archaeological interest remain.

In the first week of the two-week dig, archaeologists have dug two trenches and unearthed a wall from a medieval building that fronted onto the high street, some fragments of medieval pottery, and the wall of a building thought to have been built in the 18th Century with a hearth in the middle of it.

Dorset Echo: The stone wall of a building has been unearthed at North Quay Picture: Context OneThe stone wall of a building has been unearthed at North Quay Picture: Context One

Richard McConnell, director of Context One and supervisor of the North Quay investigation, said: "We are halfway through the project at the moment - we will dig the other two trenches today and we should know by Friday if there is any survival in either of them.

"We cannot refine which century the medieval wall was from at this stage - although we know it was number 11 on the high street - but once it gets looked at properly we might be able to refine it better.

"It looks like there are both medieval remains and remains from the18th Century which fits with Weymouth becoming a fashionable seaside resort in that period.

"We are really lucky to have found anything considering the site was knocked down in the 1960s just before the council offices were built. Hopefully we will find more."

Dorset Echo: Archaeological investigation work at North Quay Picture: Context OneArchaeological investigation work at North Quay Picture: Context One

Volunteers from community group Dig The Street have been invited to volunteer their time to help with the investigation. Mark Vine, an ex-archaeologist, author and historian, volunteered yesterday.

He said: "I am very pleased that the archaeological investigation is happening and I think it is so great that this happened as a result of local people fighting for it. It is also really nice that members of the local community are able to volunteer and get involved in the project.

"I will be doing a metal detecting sweep of the whole site at some point this week so it is possible we could find some fallout from the Battle of Weymouth, such as musket balls.

"It is totally important that work like this is done. This town has such a great history and we should be teaching children about it so that they can be proud of the place they are from.

"Hopefully anything we find will end up in the Weymouth Museum."