I NEVER thought I'd be particularly inspired by a patch of dirt and builder's rubble. But my day at the Commandery helping out at this year's big dig saw me standing in the middle of one, 'oohing' and 'aahing' along with other enthusiastic aspiring archaeologists at precisely that.

Except, of course, this wasn't just any old dirt and builder's rubble.

This was of a much higher class.

After all, this brown dusty expanse lies in the back garden of one of Worcester's most historic buildings boasting 1,000 years of history.

Yes, there were roof tiles, but these hadn't been mass produced and discarded off some 21st Century architectural monstrosity.

These were mediaeval with the original tiler's stamp and the occasional pawprint from a wayward kitten still clearly visible - even to an amateur like me.

Rooting around a bit more with my mattock (a kind of flat-ended pick axe) and trowel I uncovered bits of animal bone and even a couple of dressmaker's pins which seemed to be of particular interest to field archaeologist Sarah Phear who quickly dusted them off and put them in her own special plastic bag.

Then, in the middle of all the excitement Maureen, who was working alongside me in Trench 7, found a round hole. After much deliberation and many theories, it was decided the foot deep, five inch wide space with perfectly smooth sides had once housed a post.

It's presence was added to a detailed scale drawing of the site and its features described to be recorded for ever more in the county archives.

The purpose of working on Trench 7 - which was still at the early stages of the six-week dig - was to try and shed some more light on what had been uncovered just days before my arrival.

What is believed to be a 13th or 14th Century sandstone wall was peeking out of the ground causing great excitement.

Last year's dig unearthed two bodies inside the Commandery, just yards away from where this wall has emerged, leading to the theory that it may be the foundations of the long-lost monastic hospital chapel that once stood in the grounds.

All this work has been made possible thanks to a £1.7m Heritage Lottery grant and, what makes the dig even more special, is that volunteers have been drafted in alongside just four members of the county council's archaeology team to get their hands dirty and uncover their city's past for themselves.

Steve and Amanda Quick took part last year and enjoyed it so much they are back for one day a week this time around.

"If you were digging around in your back garden you'd be bored out of your brain," Amanda said. "But here it is absolutely fascinating."

The couple were painstakingly measuring and drawing a not-so exciting find just to the side of the medieval stone wall - a Victorian drain. And it seems they are in abundance across the site.

"We seem to have found many," Steve said. "But we also found a mediaeval bronze pin and some Cornish tin wear. It's fantastic that we are actually able to get in a trench and do hands-on work. As you work, the lives of everyone who once lived here gradually come to life. It makes the different phases in the building's life seem more real."

The dig is taking place as part of a project which is seeing the Commandery being refurbished before re-opening in the spring.

The grounds are open for visitors until the end of July - by which time perhaps project leader, Worcestershire County Council archaeologist Justin Hughes and his team will have come to a more solid conclusion about the chapel.

If nothing else, I promise you will never look at a bit of dirt in the same light again.

For information on tours around the grounds call 01905 361821.

l Julian Richards, presenter of BBC2's Meet The Ancestors, will be on hand on Saturday and Sunday, (July 22-23), to answer historical questions visitors may have. See tomorrow's Worcester News for an interview with the TV presenter.