THE history of a former priory is to be revealed at an archaeology open day at the weekend.

Excavations are being carried out on part of the former Gilbertine priory of St Andrew, in York, by experts based at the city's university. The work is being undertaken before the site is developed for a Mecca bingo hall.

Evidence recovered from the site has shown it was occupied for nearly a thousand years before the priory was established.

Experts say the earliest use of the area was in the Roman period when it was crossed by a road, running from York, south-east alongside the River Ouse.

The site was reoccupied in the Anglo-Saxon period when it formed part of the trading community of Eoforwic.

A series of rubbish pits have yielded material illustrating the commercial contacts of the town and some of the craft industries its residents were involved in.

The site will be open on Saturday, from 10.30am to 3.30pm, when archaeologists will be giving guided tours. There will also be a chance to look at displays in an information centre