ARCHAEOLOGISTS have discovered the remains of two eighteenth century cottages while demolishing a former store in Tavistock, it emerged today.

They have also uncovered the remains of a pub, date unknown, a battered toilet bowl, a 1946 coin and - bizarrely - some teeth.

Archaeologists working for Taunton Land Ltd, who applied to demolish the former Woolworth’s store in Brook Street and replace it with new shops, believe the teeth could have been knocked out of the owner’s mouth during a brawl.

Laurence Vinnels, from Devon-based AC Archaeologists, said they had found artefacts from a former garage.

He said that while it was at this point uncertain how old the pub was, the cottages had been checked against an old map of the street and had been dated to 1724.

Mr Vinnels said work on the shops had been suspended until the site had been thoroughly examined and added: "It’s difficult to say how long we will be here and that depends a lot on what else we find.

’If we find something huge, then clearly we will be here for a lot longer.’

Woolworths was closed in Tavistock after its parent company went bust in 2008. The building which had its own garden centre, was taken over by a fashion store but most recently it had been a shoe shop.