PEOPLE in York were getting in touch with the past during a public open day at an archaeological site.

York Archaeological Trust (YAT) is excavating the Hungate site in a bid to uncover the layers of history behind this major part of the city centre - and on Saturday YAT archaeologists were showing off their findings.

YAT will be digging the area, which lies to the east of the city centre, by the River Foss, until 2012.

Peter Connelly, project director, said: "Visitors were able to see the foundations of buildings that stood there during the Victorian era. One part of the area was a slum at that time, and we're trying to discover how it transformed from a place of prosperity in the medieval age to one of poverty."