Ancient chariot goes on display

The remains of a man and 250 cattle were found with the chariot

A 2,500-year-old chariot found during the construction of a motorway near Pontefract will go on display at the town's museum on Friday.

The chariot was unearthed at an Iron Age burial site in 2003 by engineers working on the A1 motorway.

Archaeologists say the chariot is extremely unusual as it was buried whole with its wheels still intact.

It will be displayed in the 'Wheels of Time' exhibition at Pontefract Museum until 22 July.

The display will feature a human skeleton and the remains of 250 cattle also discovered at a site at Darrington, near Pontefract.

The relic will eventually be moved to its final resting place at a new history centre in Castleford.

Significant find

Alec Briggs, the Highways Agency's project manager at the site, was excited by the find.

He said: "This was a unique and intriguing discovery which attracted media attention from around the world.

"We knew from our preliminary investigations there were interesting archaeological features in the area and the discovery of the chariot turned out to be one of the most significant finds on a road project in the country.

"It seems appropriate that the remains will now be on display near the site where they were uncovered, giving local residents a chance to find out more about the history discovered on their doorsteps."

Tests at the University of Bradford have revealed the skeleton was that of a 30 to 40-year-old man who is not thought to have come from West Yorkshire.

During their time on display, the artefacts will be kept under special conditions which will control temperature and humidity.