No there are no plans to dig it up - it would cost millions. There is a possibility though of making a small entry and obtaining some of the wood for dating. That needs approval from the various authorities. Negotiations are currently underway first of all with the Brewery - they seem keen in principle and we are hoping they would fund such an enterprise, but this is only the first step in a lengthy process of red tape.
At all stages we have to make sure this treasure of Wirral - whatever it is - is preserved (& its fine at the moment in the blue clay which is a superb natural preservative for woody structures).
For the Anoraks there is a book about to be published (which I'm the editor) by the Royal Society of Chemistry on the Stability of Large Carbohydrate & Woody based Structures - which includes a substantial section on Archaeological wood. It costs over £100 though!
