The unexpected haul was discovered beneath a former nightclub during a recent construction project.

A total of more than 13,000 pots and jars were recovered from what is believed to be an old vault in which Crosse and Blackwell, which had maintained a factory at the site until 1921, was thought to have once dumped large quantities of its unwanted stock.

Described by The Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) as "remarkable", the discovery includes everything from jars of jam and marmalade to pots of Piccalilli and Mushroom Catsup.

The items were found inside a large cistern beneath the site where the Elizabeth line station in Tottenham Court Road is currently being constructed.

"Excavations on Crosse and Blackwell's Soho factory produced a large and diverse collection of pottery and glass related to their products, with one cistern alone containing nearly three tons of Newcastle made marmalade jars with stoneware bottles and jars," said archaeologist Nigel Jeffries.

"We think this is the biggest collection of pottery ever discovered in a single feature from an archaeological site in London."