Archaeologists from the University of Nottingham are currently studying what locals believe to be a Viking-era boat that was discovered buried beneath a pub car park in Wirral, England. The boat was first discovered by workmen in 1938, who partially exposed it at the Railway Inn pub in Meols. After making several invaluable notes and sketches, providing information about its design and features, the workmen reburied the boat. No further archaeological studies were conducted, until now.

According to the University of Nottingham , the researchers gauged that the vessel had Scandinavian origins – Nordic in particular. Built using the clinker method, a shipbuilding technique commonly used by the Anglo-Saxons, Frisians and Scandinavians, the rumored Viking-era boat is estimated to be around six to nine meters (19.6 ft to 29.5 ft) in length and was most likely used for cargo or fishing purposes.

“There has been intense local interest in this buried object for many years,” explained Dominga Devitt, chair of the Wirral Archaeology Community Interest Company, which is co-leading the investigation of the supposedly Viking-era boat. “It has been thought that the boat dates from the Viking era, but no professional investigation has ever been carried out to establish the truth, so everyone is really delighted at the prospect of what we might discover.”

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Due to the boat’s burial in waterlogged blue clay, the timber of the Viking-era boat has been preserved rather well. The waterlogged conditions have prevented oxygen from penetrating the wood, inhibiting the growth of bacteria. The researchers will be using radar scans and narrow bore holes to analyze the boat’s structure and environment without causing damage to the ancient vessel.

Read more: Ancient Origins