A local firm has helped unearth the remains of a 700-year-old wall under the Houses of Parliament.

Thought to be the original medieval Thames River wall the discovery was revealed during extensive investigations under the Palace of Westminster.

Over the summer and early autumn, specialists spent 4,850 hours examining 160 rooms and drilling boreholes up to 70 metres deep to assess ground conditions ahead of restoration work.

The wall was discovered during an investigation by Binley-based Concept Engineering in Chancellor's Court, near the House of Lords chamber.

Drilling had to be paused as the wall was assessed by archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA). 

The structure is likely to be at least 700 years old and is made from Kentish Ragstone, a hard grey limestone quarried from Kent that was also used in the construction of the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey.  

Borehole drills gathered dozens of ground samples from under the palace which will be sent to the Concept Engineering lab in Coventry for testing.

MOLA will also produce an archaeological report to confirm more about the discovery of the possible river wall. 

Natalie Bews, managing director of Concept Engineering said: "Concept are delighted to deliver our specialist geotechnical site investigation services as part of the Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme. 

"As a small-medium sized enterprise, this will help Concept to grow and expand within the geotechnical sector as well as futureproof our business and industry by being a mechanism to highlight the importance of ground investigation within the wider construction industry and attract new talent into both the geotechnical and construction sectors." 

The discovery is likely the second finding of a part of the medieval river wall which runs under parliament, which was first identified in Black Rod's Garden in 2015, when medieval timber structures thought to represent waterfront revetments were discovered.

The wall runs alongside the medieval location of the riverside.

When the Palace was built in the 1800s, after many of the medieval buildings burned down, land was reclaimed from the Thames to make the Palace site bigger.