During the excavation of a hillfort, significant evidence of Iron Age furnaces and tools was found.

The finds were uncovered during a dig at Nesscliffe Hill

They were discovered during an excavation at Nesscliffe Hill in Shropshire, close to Shrewsbury.

These discoveries include proof of ironworking, inner walls that reveal the fort's construction, and guard chambers.

Additionally discovered are charcoal and slag, both of which are byproducts of furnaces.

An Iron Age hillfort that was afterwards inhabited by the Romans can be found in the Shropshire Council-managed Nesscliffe Hills.

The location contains traces of human habitation dating back 3,000 years, including a network of quarries that provided stone for the local churches and castles.

Interior walls and evidence of iron workings were found

Additionally, there is a cave that is thought to have served as Humphrey Kynaston's refuge throughout the Middle Ages.

According to the council, carbon dating will be performed to determine if the workings date from the early or middle Iron Age and what kind of implements were being built.

The findings were made during a summer excavation by Gary Lock, an emeritus professor of archaeology at the University of Oxford, and Paul Reilly, a visiting scholar in archaeology at the University of Southampton.

"Very, very unusual" evidence of the interior of ramparts had been revealed, said Professor Lock.

He referred to the guard cells at the fort entrance as "some of the best preserved in Britain" after previous excavations there.

If money is obtained, the crew will come back one last time the following summer to look into potential roundhouse locations.