Site Event/Activity record ECH3147 - Excavations at the Cathedral Bell Tower Site in 1971 (Chester)

Excavations in 1971 examined the area designated for what was then the new Cathedral Bell Tower. The area is west of the east city walls, south of the path joining the walls to St Werberg St. The trench ran back from the inner face of the city walls for a distance of just over 12m and was 3m wide. The upper 3m consisted of loose black earth with liberal quantities of refuse and human remains dating back to the seventeenth century. Except for the uppermost set of burials, dated to the mid-nineteenth century, the ground was very disturbed. Roman levels were encountered at the base of the trench, represented by part of a turf rampart (1).