YORK may be famous for its cobbled streets, but now a street dating back nearly 2,000 years has been found beneath an old York pub.

Regulars at the old Starting Gate pub in Tadcaster Road may be surprised to learn their local was sitting on a piece of history.

Under the now-demolished pub, 2,000-year-old cobbles and the remains of a home of a wealthy Roman have been discovered. Experts say the cobbles are the largest section of Roman road ever found in the area, on the main road from the city to the South.

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

Experts were called in to investigate before houses are built on the site.

Five weeks of work discovered the remains of a two-storey building indicating the home of someone of considerable importance in the area, with countless small artefacts including pottery and metal objects such as dress and belt fittings. It is thought the area could have been a small suburban settlement just 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 roads were built and what sort of landscape there was outside York almost 2,000 years ago," he said.

But the road is soon to disappear again beneath the planned housing development.

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

Updated: 10:53 Friday, October 24, 2003