A HIDDEN history has been uncovered under the site of the old Woolworths in Ayr.

Through the demolition of the Riverside Block at the bottom end of the town near the new bridge, 18th century Ayr has been unravelled including the Kings Arms Hotel which was knocked down in 1930.

Planning permission to continue with development of the office block and eateries has still to be obtained but those who know about the discovery think it should become an attraction in the town like Jorvik Viking Centre in York.

At a public meeting, Tom Rees, of Rathmell Archaeology, explained: “We have demolished number 8-48 of the Riverside Block. We are going to preserve the elements which are part of the environment.

“We don’t want to lose information about our town. Ayr is one of the Scottish burghs and we have great potential to explain how Ayr was created.

“The buildings which are being demolished, have within them, value in terms of significant interest and information.

“The Kings Arms Hotel was the original site before the Riverside Block was created. It was established in the 18th century and was under council ownership.

“Parts of the Kings Arms have been found in the brick work of the old Woolworths. The Kings Arms was demolished to build the Riverside Block, in 1930, and a new layer of concrete built on top.

“Through the demolition process we have a better understanding of the buildings we have lost. We have cut an array of trenches to discover what life was like in the 18th and 29th century and have recovered medieval pottery, timbre and other materials.

“We are discovering information about people’s lives. We will have to ask South Ayrshire Council for planning permission to continue with the redevelopment.

“We will build the council offices first and then need to ask them again and again for planning permission to continue the next steps of the re-development phase.

“This is our best chance to discover how the bridge was founded, how it changed through time and what it was used for. It will still give us a chance to understand Ayr’s past. “

Robert Singer asked: “How are the people going to get involved?”

Mr Rees responded: “I keep trying to talk about the site. When the site is dormant we can arrange for site visits and teach visitors the history and let them know what we have discovered. We want to encourage people to ask questions. We are going to keep exploring and keep digging until there is nothing left to dig.

“I am not saying we are in this position but Jorvik was discovered when they were restoring the town have if archaeologists had not started digging it would not exist. I hope we could create something for people to go and see and we could engage the community.”

It is hoped whatever the former block is turned into, it will encourage tourists and locals to visit the town.