LUCKY pupils from a York school have been given a unique opportunity to get up close to a local Iron Age find.

As part of their studies, children from Queen Margaret's School visited The Mile at Pocklington, which is regarded as one of the UK's most significant archaeological discoveries and recently featured on the BBC's Digging for Britain: Iron Age Revealed programme.

Persimmon Homes Yorkshire welcomed the pupils, who observed the excavation of a warrior grave, featuring the only upright chariot with standing horses found in Britain and the skeleton of a warrior in his late 40s.

The man was believed to be of high standing in his community and his skeleton was accompanied by a well-preserved and highly decorative brooch.

Experts worked in secret at the site for seven months, excavating two barrows which were constructed more than 2,000 years ago.

The girls got the chance to speak to archaeologists about the chariot and their excavation processes, as well as examining other artefacts discovered on the site, including an iron dagger and a fishing hook.

Jessica Miles, head teacher at Queen Margaret's School, said: "This was an amazing opportunity for our girls.

"They had a fascinating time exploring the site and learning about the techniques and processes involved in such a dig.

"Excursions like this are hugely beneficial as it provides a valuable hands-on understanding of different careers as well as teaching them about our region's impressive history.

"We are very grateful to Persimmon Homes for making this possible."

Persimmon's regional divisional director Simon Usher said: "The discovery at The Mile development was considered 'most impressive, with no British parallel' by our archaeologists.

"We feel privileged to have been part of such a significant find that provides archaeologists with a valuable insight into the ritual of Iron Age burials.

"We were delighted to share our find with the school and maybe it has even inspired some future archaeologists."

The house builder, which officially owns the find, eventually plans to donate the discovery to a local museum, but is yet to find a beneficiary.

Now that excavation work has been completed at The Mile, construction of a 200-home development is underway.