DIGGERS have struck gold in an excavation at what was once a royal stronghold in Northumberland.

The annual archaeological dig at Bamburgh Castle has uncovered a piece of gold decorated to the highest levels of craftsmanship.

It is thought that the gold item, about half the size of a pound coin, dates to around AD800 when Bamburgh was the capital of the kings of Northumbria.

The gold find will go on show today at Bamburgh Castle, mounted beneath a magnifying glass so that visitors can enjoy the delicate workmanship.

The piece has braided edges and spirals formed by applying tiny spheres of molten gold.

“You can see the fine detail by using a microscope so the fact that this was done around 1,300 years ago is astonishing,” said archaeologist Graeme Young, director of the Bamburgh Research Project

“They were working at a scale which is hardly visible to the naked eye in what is craftsmanship for its own sake.”

The piece was found by one of the dig’s French volunteer students, Constance Durgeat.