ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered the remains of an iron foundry that played a crucial part in a city's 19th Century industrial history.

York Archaeological Trust is working on the site of the Walker Iron Foundry in Walmgate, York.

Teams have uncovered walls and found structures including a brick-lined pit which housed a wheel, probably driven by a steam engine. It is thought to have been used for powering the foundry bellows.

Ceramic crucibles used for molten iron and steel and pieces of railing have also been recovered.

The foundry was set up in 1837 by ironmonger John Walker.

At first, he worked on local commissions but from 1845 to 1846, the foundry made the gates for Kew Gardens in London.

As a result, Walker was appointed the iron founder to Queen Victoria in 1847.

In 1850, he received his most famous commission when he made the gates and railings of the British Museum.

On Saturday, members of the public were invited to come to the site and take a look at the excavation work.

Patrick Ottaway, head of fieldwork at York Archaeological Trust, said: "This is the first major excavation of a historic industrial site in York. I believe it will tell us an enormous amount about the technology of iron founding in a crucial period of its development. The site also has a special significance for the city because of the Walker connection."