Location York

Yorkshire Post Today

Julie Hemmings
ROMAN cobblestones and a medieval fireplace were among the discoveries in the latest major archaeological dig in central York.

Dozens of trainee archaeologists from as far afield as Japan and New Zealand spent the summer excavating parts of the site of St Mary's Abbey, behind which York Art Gallery now stands.
Some of the finds will go on show at JORVIK Viking centre on Thursday next week, when visitors can handle artefacts and meet archaeologists from the project.
The dig was a partnership between the York Museums Trust, which owns the land and runs attractions including the art gallery and the nearby Yorkshire Museum, and the York Archaeological Trust, which is in the process of assessing and cataloguing finds.
Trust field officer Toby Kendall said: "It was the first modern archaeological excavation on this site. As well as training people in archaeology, the excavation aims to give a better understanding for the future management of the site, as well as offering more research into the archaeology of York."
Artefacts found date back to the Romans, the medieval period when the abbey was in use and the time since, when the land was laid out in formal gardens and vegetable plots.