A BIGGER picture of what life was like 1,300 years ago for people living on the Lizard is emerging at Gunwalloe.

Archaeological work in the area has been described by the National Trust as being of national importance.

The trust said: "Gunwalloe has for over 60 years captured the interest and imagination of local residents and archaeologists who have seen archaeological features eroding out of the cliff face from the beach below.

"The archaeological remains recorded so far belong to a possible early medieval settlement in the sand dunes dating to between the 7th and 9th centuries.

"This site is of great importance as only one other settlement of this date has been excavated in Cornwall which makes it of national significance in understanding this period."

Historic documents suggested Saint Winwaloe, from Brittany (the origin of the modern day name Gunwalloe), may have visited the site in the 6th century AD and possibly lived in a rock-cut hermitage in the cliffs behind the current church.

It was thought he came to convert the local Cornish people to Christianity.

The Domesday Book in 1086 said there was a Royal Manor at Winnianton, near Gunwalloe, which comprised more land than any other manor in Cornwall or Devon.

"This suggests that area must have been a very important place, where local people would come to pay their taxes to the king," said the trust.

"Unfortunately, this archaeological site is continually being destroyed as sea levels rise and the winter storms erode the cliff face."

The work was part of a larger heritage project funded by the Rural Development Programme for England (called Unlocking Our Coastal Heritage – protecting the cultural corridor) to record, conserve and enhance a wide range of archaeological sites that are currently at risk along the South West Coast Path.

A team of professional archaeologists and archaeology students from University of Exeter, alongside local experts and archaeological groups working as volunteers, had teamed up with the trust, English Heritage and the South West Coast Path team to investigate this site before it was lost forever.

The trust added: "The archaeological work this summer follows on from investigations last year and is revealing traces and finding out more about the people that once lived and worked the land and sea at Gunwalloe in early medieval Cornwall.

"The archaeologists are collecting samples for scientific analysis to discover what the landscape and environment was like some 1,300 years ago."

They were also uncovering the remains of buildings, pottery and animal bone which would help build a picture of how people were living in the environment.

To follow the excavation online visit www.lizardand penroseblogspot.com.