There's a chance to watch treasure being unearthed from the ground before your eyes this weekend.

The Canterbury Archaeological Trust and Dover Archaeological Group are holding a series of weekend digs at St Peter’s Church in Sandwich starting on Sunday, January 22.

Organised by the Churches Conservation Trust, the digs, that run until Sunday, February 19, are open to the public to come along and see what finds are dug up and to speak to the archaeologists involved.

The experts will be on hand to answer questions and display any finds between 10am and 4pm on each day.

The finds will also be displayed inside the church during February half term.

The dig is part of a project to develop the church as the sustainable tourist destination, Haven Heights. The trust recently completed its first phase – opening the medieval tower so that visitors could enjoy views across the town.

The dig will lead to the installation of toilets outside the building, on the south west side, and is being made possible with the help of a £49,000 grant from the Coastal Revival Fund. Due to the nature of the site, an archaeological excavation was necessary before works could start.

Community archaeologist with the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, Annie Partridge, said: “This is a great opportunity for people to find out about local archaeology and will allow us to investigate the remains of the south aisle of St Peter’s and find out what happened when the tower collapsed.

"We expect to find masonry and parts of the original tower including architectural details.”

To find out about the digs more email annie.partridge@canterburytrust.co.uk or call 07884 436649.

For more info on the church and how to enjoy the magnificent views from the top of the tower, click here