TWO extremely rare 17th-century "refrigerators" have been found during an archeological dig in Bristol.

The ice houses were found on land between Old Market Street and Redcross Street, where a new development is planned.

Ice houses were dug deep, lined with straw and sawdust and then packed with ice in the winter to store perishable goods.

Rare and intact pottery and other items such as a glass wine bottle known as an "onion bottle" were also found along with a vast selection of 17th-century pipes and sheep skulls.

Other items dating back to medieval times were also found, including glazed pottery, animal bones and a spindle wheel.

Andrew Young, principal archeologist for Avon Archeologists in Kingswood, described the discovery of the domestic ice houses and 17th-century pottery as "extremely exciting."

He said: "Normally ice houses would be found in grand country houses. They would be lined with straw and sawdust and filled with ice so perishables could be stored.

"It would work as a modern-day refrigerator all through the summer months. What we believe we have here is a domestic version on a much smaller scale, which is unusual.

"We know of precedents of ice houses elsewhere but the fact that these are small make them more important because we are finding it very difficult to find comparable examples.

"They were both filled with rubbish from around 1700. There was a pot from around the time of the Civil War, which is complete and is as rare as hen's teeth.

"There is also an onion bottle, which is a glass wine bottle, that is in one piece – again incredibly rare. We hope they will both feature prominently in Bristol's museum – they certainly deserve to.

"We have also discovered a lot of pottery that we believe may be Brislington Delft Pottery, which again would be rare. The finds are pointing to someone of some considerable wealth living on this site.

"Now we need to take all the information we gather away and see if we can ascertain how the site was used. This is something that will take several months."

Old Market is one of the original areas of Bristol and is said to have been an area where country people set up stalls and sold their wares as early as the 12th century.

It is believed to have been the first suburb outside the city walls and had side roads for traffic on market days. CTU Developments are building 43 residential units on the site along with one commercial unit.

Martin Thomas, of Synergise Consult, project managers for the development, said: "We will be adapting the foundations of the buildings so that the ice houses that have been found can be preserved. We will make every effort to ensure they are not disturbed."

The ice houses will not be visible after the development has been completed.