In a remarkable twist of fate, a routine community gardening session turned into an unexpected archaeological dig when a group of volunteer gardeners uncovered what experts are now calling a "significant historical artifact" beneath the soil of Bridges Centre gardens.

The discovery was made on earlier this month during the volunteer gardeners weekly workday, whilst tidying up an area of soil in the Physic Garden. As spades sunk into the earth and weeds were pulled away, one gardener struck something harder than soil — a curious, ornately carved stone.

“At first, I thought it was just an old roof tile or maybe a terracotta garden feature,” said Nesta Pearce, a long-time volunteer. “But as we cleared around it, we realised it was something much older and much more intricate.”

The group carefully unearthed a partially buried object roughly the size of a penguin (the chocolate biscuit), made from a dense, weathered material. Recognizing its potential significance, they asked a renowned local archaeologist to assess the find.

According to Mr. Stephen Clarke MBE, chairman and founding member of Monmouth Archaeological Society, the artifact appears to be “a shard from a large jug or similar. Probably made in the late 1200’s or early 1300’s, and related to Monnow village ware. These vessels are rare. This one is similar to knight jugs found in other areas, however this one appears to be dressed in chainmail which would make it unique,” Mr. Clarke explained. “Finds like this are rare, this is a most exciting find which deserves a place in a museum.”

Sometimes, the seeds we plant do more than grow — they connect us to the roots of the past. And in this case, quite literally so. What began as a typical Tuesday morning turned into a day that the volunteer gardeners—and the history books—won’t soon forget.