THE demolition of the toilet block at Burnley's Towneley Hall may flush out more clues to its past.

The toilets were cleared after bulldozers moved in this week to start £1.5million catalogue of improvements at the museum which will take over a year to complete.

Archaeologists are expected to return soon to excavate the foundations of the site where servants' quarters once stood.

Local historian James Howell says the last buildings to stand on the site were a single storey dairy at the side of the hall which dated from the early 19th century and a two storey house next to it built in about 1875, occupied by the gardeners.

He believes a new dig could also uncover evidence of life at the Towneley family residence stretching back to the 15th century.

Last year a team from Matrix Archaeology in Manchester excavated close to the toilet block and discovered pieces of glass and pottery from the 17th and 18th centuries , which are now on display in the hall..

A new wing will be built on the council-owned Grade I listed country house on the site of a demolished service wing, providing school rooms, library, shop, toilets and a lift and ramps to improve access to the mainly 18th century building.

Rooms which have been used as offices for years will be re-opened to the public and there will be new displays throughout the hall, including interactive computer displays and new education services.