Site Event/Activity record ECH3155 - The City Walls: Excavations at the Engineering Yard, Chester in 1980 (Northgate House II)

An archaeological investigation undertaken in advance of repairs to the city walls in the Engineering Yard near the Northgate, with the specific objective of ascertaining the line and character of the earliest surviving masonry in this area (the results of the work were inconclusive with respect to this goal) (1). The north-south cross section of the trench revealed the profile of a bank, reminiscent of a rampart, north of the line of the city wall (1). The work also allowed close inspection of what had been considered Roman masonry at this part of the wall, and it was concluded that the cornicing and parapet (now restored) were Roman and not later (2). The site is fully reported in the Defences Monograph under the name Northgate House II. Some evidence of disturbance in the late 19th century was noted (3).