UK town 'swallowed up' by sea discovered after over 650 years, say scientists

Agencies | London     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

An old town that was swallowed entirely by seas centuries ago has been found after decades of searching

Ravenser Odd was a medieval port town that was also called Ravensrodd. Located in East Yorkshire, it was considered to be more important than Hull.

It used to be a major stopping place for fishing boats and cargo ships. The 13th-century town had more than 100 houses and a set of wharves and warehouses along the sea shore. It had become a flourishing coastal town by 1299.

Unfortunately, it was swept into the sea in the mid-1300s and remained underwater for centuries.

Many refer to the town as Britain's lost Atlantis because no one was able to see it for more than 650 years.

Scientists had been trying to locate the town for years. But a recent search closer to the shore uncovered rocks and stonework just a few metres beneath the water's surface, according to a Mirror.co.uk report.

Experts said the town remained undiscovered for centuries as previous scientists searched for it in all the wrong places.

It was generally believed the most likely site for Ravenser Odd was about a mile off the Yorkshire coast.

But when a new ground of scientists took their search closer to the shore, they found the rocks and stonework. Experts say the find can be as legendary as the discovery of Pompeii.

"It’s fascinating, exciting, exhilarating. The exact location of this medieval town hasn’t ever been pinpointed," Professor Dan Parsons, a geoscientist at the University of Hull, told The Sun.

"We now have the tools and the technology to go out there and locate it once and for all." he added.

The team led by Parsons is now hoping to find the footprint of the town. Once they find foundations, harbour, and sea walls, they will map out the place and create a 3D map.

"To actually find it, after such a long time, will be the completion of a life’s work. I’m blown away by it all," said Phil Mathison, who has dedicated 25 years of his life to looking for the town.