BLACKBIRD Leys may not be the first place that springs to mind when thinking about archaeology.

But a project around eastern Oxford is about to uncover the mysteries that lie under ground the city’s biggest estate.

On the weekend of May 19 and 20, archaeologists will be circling around the Leys digging pits and washing any finds with members of the public.

It is part of Archeox, the four-year East Oxford History Project, which has been busy excavating in the area for little more than a year.

Project officer Jane Harrison said: “A lot of the older archaeology is here rather than in the centre of the city.

“It has been neglected because people have this misconception that all the nice things are in the centre, where you can see them.”

Over the weekend in May, volunteers and experts will dig around six test pits, measuring 1sq metre each.

The all-day searches will involve a mixture of experienced diggers and anyone with an interest in the history of their area.

Ms Harrison said: “There is a good chance we will find a lot because Blackbird Leys was actually the heart of the Romano-British pottery industry.

“A lot of Roman things were found when the estates were being built, but we’d like to find out more.

“Plus it is also the site of an old farm, so we may be able to find out more about the medieval landscape.”

One of the digs will take place outside the Old Barn in Greater Leys, as part of an open day being held by local community organisations.

A single pit will be dug out and then any items found in the area will be washed by any willing volunteers.

Ms Harrison said: “We basically dig until the level where there is no longer any human disturbance, so we don’t know how deep that will be.

“But everyone is welcome. We would love to get the whole community involved.”

More than 400 volunteers have been involved with the Archeox project since it launched last October.

It was funded for four years by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Oxford University’s John Fell Fund.

An excavation by volunteers in November in Bartlemas Chapel, off Cowley Road, uncovered the remains of two children hastily buried in shallow graves.

* For more information visit archeox.net To book a place on a dig contact jane@archeox.net