A COLLECTION of historic bottles dating back 150 years have been unearthed in Widnes.

The fascinating discoveries were made while workers were excavating near Ditton roundabout to build link roads to the new bridge.

It is thought that the 42 bottles date from 1850 to the late 1950s.

A superior stone ginger earthenware bottle from mineral water manufacturer Tilley and Kiddie, which operated out of Widnes until 1917 and two dark green glass bottles from the Warrington-based Peter Walker & Son brewery founded in 1864 were recovered.

According to the labels, the previous contents ranged from HP Sauce, camp coffee, and cough syrup to unusual medicinal products including Virol bone marrow, ‘The ideal food for children and invalids', and Dr Adolf Hommel's haematogen.

Produced in Switzerland in 1910, this so-called remedy was made from cow’s blood, alcohol, and flavouring as a treatment for anaemia.

Kathryn Ierston, Merseylink's environmental advisor, said: "This is a fascinating find.

“We know that there are historical landfills in the Ditton area and working with our archaeologists we discovered that these finds came from a Victorian tip.

“We've donated the collection to the Mersey Gateway visitor centres so that the public can enjoy a glimpse of Halton's social history."

The bottle collection is on display at Mersey Gateway visitor centres inside Catalyst Science Discovery Centre in Widnes from 10am to 4pm Tuesday to Sunday and at Runcorn Shopping Centre from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday. Admission is free.