A NORTH East village is set to appear on a new BBC Two series tonight and it could be the answer to  a 10 year mystery.

Bamburgh, in Northumberland, will be the setting for the first episode of Villages by the Sea, presented by archaeologist Ben Robinson.

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The first episode will feature the discovery of a well in the historic town which could be connected to a 10 year mystery about a Christian saint.

Ben is set to travel across the country in the series to reveal how some of our best loved villages played a vital part in significant moments of our nation’s history.

Bamburgh will be the starting point of the series and Ben is set to look at how the health and fortune of Bamburgh was shaped by those in charge of the village’s famous castle, from the early English Kings to 18th century philanthropists.

He is set to join village historian Carol Griffiths for the climax to her decade long quest to find the long-lost well.

Mr Robinson said: “It was exciting to be involved with this discovery. It shows the sort of secrets that can be revealed in village back yards - sometimes things are hidden almost in plain sight.

“The well had been exposed during building works, but I don't think its significance was recognised, so it was covered up and made safe. Up until the 1950s most villages had several wells, but this is an exceptionally grand one and wouldn't be out of place in a castle or monastery.

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"Further investigation is required, but it’s intriguing to think that Carol has pinned down this famous, lost feature of Bamburgh life.”

During the episode, Ben will also visit fellow archaeologist Jessica Turner, whose findings show the seventh century residents of Bamburgh were robust and healthy, which is contrary to the usual malnourishment of the British medieval population.

The series will also see Ben travel to Staithes in North Yorkshire, Thorpeness in Suffolk, Charlestown in Cornwall, Arnside in Cumbria, and finally Alnmouth in Northumberland.

Villages by the Sea will air tonight at 7pm on BBC Two and if you miss it, you can catch it on BBC iPlayer.

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