WORK began this week to discover more about Radcliffe Hall and Tower’s medieval past.

The Close Park dig is being run by archaeologists from the University of Salford, who initially excavated the site in October 2013, and has so far attracted almost 100 volunteers.

The team is hoping to mark out the medieval foundations of the structure, after a 15th century doorway and stone plinth bases from the great hall were uncovered last year.

Organisers have been delighted with the response from the local community and say they are already making some fascinating discoveries, after selecting Close Park as one of their two flagship excavations in the Dig Greater Manchester initiative.

Vicky Nash, who is leading the dig, said: “The main aim is to finally piece together the foundations of the medieval hall, but also the later development of the site.

“The reason we came back is because we have dug here three times before and we have only just started to see evidence of the medieval hall popping up.

“We’ve had a really good response from the people of Radcliffe. It’s been one of the most popular digs we’ve done.

“This dig is only a few days in and we’ve had a lot of interest and are already uncovering a lot of what we came here to find.

“We are very familiar with the site now and that means we are getting more and more of the results we want to see.”

The dig is running until Friday May 15, with places still available in the final weeks of the excavation for volunteers to join in.

The event is open to anybody over the age of 16, though younger volunteers are able to attend on Saturday, May 2 and Bank Holiday Monday, May 4, providing they are accompanied by an adult.

No previous experience is required as training is provided on site.

An open day will then be held on Saturday, May 16 to showcase the team’s findings, with other stalls around the site showcasing the history of the area.

Anyone interesting in volunteering should e-mail Vicky Nash at v.nash@salford.ac.uk