Site Event/Activity record ECH3955 - Evaluation on land to the Rear of 6 King's Buildings, Chester, 2002 (King's Building Site)

Evaluation undertaken in advance of redevelopment and comprised two trenches to the rear of the property as well as the recording of a previously open trench near the southern end of the site. The evaluation has established that significant archaeological remains relating to the Roman occupation of Chester survive across the extent of the development site. These consist of a first century occupation layer including building debris associated with domestic pottery throughout the site at depths varying from 8.4m-8.9m below ground level. However given the disturbed nature of some of these deposits it is likely that this layer represents a redistribution of soil during a secondary phase of works involving the re-fortification of the site during the Trajanic period of the fortress development. The evaluation also confirmed that beneath this layer there is a strong possibility that the original turf rampart of the earliest fortress survives in Trench 1. Although the evaluation indicating post medieval disturbance within the area, these can be considered to be limited in extent and the survival of the relatively undisturbed remains of the Roman fortress have been confirmed.