Archaeologists unearth Anglo-Saxon oven and building

The floor and hearth of an Anglo-Saxon building were among the finds

Archaeologists who uncovered an Anglo-Saxon oven at a site in Northumberland believe it is the first of its type ever found in the UK.

The oven was found alongside unbaked loom weights, which were used to stretch thread during weaving.

The team also discovered a structure, which was built using large posts, with surviving floors.

Dr Jane Harrison, a community archaeologist, has described the finds as "nationally important".

A number of loom weights used in weaving were found alongside the oven

The site, near Felton, has been popular for many years with metal detectorists, and a number of objects have been discovered in the past.

The recent dig, the third in successive years, suggests the site was an important Anglo-Saxon centre from about the same era as Ad Gefrin, near Kirknewton, where King Edwin had his palace in the 7th Century.

"It would have been a meeting place where people made things, including cloth, and came to exchange goods," Dr Harrison said.

"Hundreds of people could have visited the site.

"To find buildings used for crafts, as well as the oven, is incredibly exciting."

Volunteers, shown here standing in the locations of posts once used in an unearthed structure, helped with the excavations

Two previous digs also uncovered artefacts, which included lead gaming pieces, from the Viking era.

"This suggests that it was used later by part of the Viking Great North Army," Dr Harrison said.

"What is sure is that this is was a hugely important site for many hundreds of years and there's clearly much more to uncover.

"We hope to come back again and to involve the community even more.

"Local people were fascinated by what they helped discover."