SECRETS of Worcester's past are being unearthed - and clues from deep underground show we were a city of pipe smokers.

Amateur archaeologists are joining experts from Worcester City Council to excavate areas in the gardens of the Commandery.

The most significant discoveries so far are tobacco pipes and a silver Nuremburg coin from Germany dating from the 16th or 17th Century.

The coin is unlikely to have been legal tender but rather a German imitation of English money as it appears to show a Tudor rose.

The dig, which will continue for the next six weeks, has unearthed piles of floor tiles and lots of animal bones too.

City council archaeologist Jon Milward said the dig had already unveiled 15th Century buildings - and a Victorian walkway - and as the excavation continues Roman remains could be unearthed. But already the project has given pointers to how people have lived through the ages in that part of the city.

"There was a butcher's shop nearby, we can tell that by all the animal bones that are being found," said Mr Milward.

"And with the number of clay pipes being found, they obviously smoked a lot of tobacco."

Mr Milward said the pipes were easy to date because they gradually grew in size and length as tobacco became cheaper.

"They are all stamped with the manufacturers name, of which there were quite a few in Worcester, so that's something we can investigate.

"We know there was a chapel in these grounds a lot earlier than what we've found so far so as the dig progresses we'll hopefully discover that, including possibly skeltons from the graveyeard."

Emily Knight, aged 22, from Battenhall, Worcester, is one of the volunteers getting her hands dirty, her interest being sparked by her archaeology degree. "It's great to see how your own town has developed," she said.

"I've grown up here all my life and I've found it fascinating to get to know something about where I've been living all these years."

The project is part of the £1.4million Commandery Project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.