Many years ago (I suspect around 1967) I was playing with a very basic home made metal detector on a beach, after finding the usual few hundred coke cans which the detector only found to less than 8" below the surface (it wasn't very good), we got a massive signal by the sea wall. We dug down to about 2 feet and found nothing, bearing in mind this detector wouldn't find a chieftain tank at 2ft, it had us intrigued, but the signal was still strong.

We carried on digging and eventually came across a brass inlaid stone in the seawall celebrating its opening. The detector proved much better performing with brass than steel which was useful to know as it would be good with copper and gold as well.

I have forgotten which beach it is, New Brighton is one of the possibilities but it could also have been Hoylake or West Kirby. I remember some details about its relative location to some other features but all those beaches similar features.

The current Council and Crown Estate rules prevent me using a detector and finding it again, plus the sand has risen by at least 3 feet on all these beaches. The rules forbid "Metal Detecting" which is exactly what I would be doing (as opposed to treasure hunting). One day I may find it again.

Back to the Kings Parade seawall construction .... Wirral Archives will have the tenders, contracts and plans for the seawall, or at a minimum records of where they are, they will also probably have more photographs of the construction but they may be harder to find.