REGULARS at the old Starting Gate pub may not have known it but their favourite watering hole was sitting on a piece of history.

For under the now-demolished pub, cobbles that the Romans once walked on nearly 2,000 years ago have been found.

And the experts who unearthed the cobbles say it is the largest section of Roman road ever found in the archaeologically-rich area of York.

Legionaries would have marched, chariots would have been driven and traders would have walked along what was then the main route into the city from the South.

"This is a reminder if how important York was in Roman times and it is a very evocative reminder," said Patrick Ottaway, head of fieldwork with York Archaeological Trust.

The trust was called in to investigate the site, in Tadcaster Road, before developers move in to build houses.

After five weeks of painstaking work, they not only uncovered the road but also the remains of what appears to be a wealthy Roman's home and countless small artefacts.

The remains of the building indicate a two-storey property that was probably the home of someone of considerable importance in the area.

Other finds include large pieces of pottery, some used to store wine and oil, animal bones and metal objects such as dress and belt fittings.

The experts believe they have found a small roadside community, similar to a small suburb, which would have been around three kilometres outside the old Roman city.

"It could have been where people stopped for a bite and a drink before making their way into the city," said Mr Ottaway.

"It is an important find because it gives us a better understanding of how such roads were built and what sort of landscape there was outside York almost 2,000 years ago."

The road will not remain on view for long. It will shortly disappear under the planned development.

"We have more or less taken everything out of the site we can and there is nothing left that can be protected as such," said Mr Ottaway.