Our Big Picture, Pennant 665

"Our HOARD During the summers of 2023 & 24 Our Big Picture held a 'community archaeological urban dig' in our small garden at our Grade 2 listed building on Grimsby's high street, in partnership with our local Archaeological Society. The test pit size digs unearthed a medieval midden with over 5000+ finds from early coins dating from 1900 to 13th-century painted glass. Amongst the finds were ‘176 Oyster Shells’ dating mostly from the mid-19th Century. Our researchers established that in 1856 William Elwood-Robinson was registered at our building as an oyster dealer selling Cleethorpes farmed Oysters! Exploring the heritage of our Cleethorpes oysters, which during the 1800’s was one of the largest oyster reefs in the UK and how environmental factors including pollution, overfishing and climate change caused our oyster population to dwindle."