Site Event/Activity record ECH4301 - An Archaeological Evaluation at George Street School, Chester.

All four trenches contained stratified deposits ranging in date between c. AD100 and the nineteenth century. Much of this consisted of thick deposits (up to 2m in depth at the western end of the site) of mid-reddish brown silty clay sand. It is broadly similar in character to the 'dark earth' deposits observed on many urban sites but slightly paler in colour. The origin of this deposit is currently unclear but it may result from the disposal of domestic debris during the Roman and Medieval periods. Features were found cutting into this deposit. Cuts 33 and 21 may be part of the same feature, possibly a ditch aligned north-east to south-west. A field boundary is shown at approximately this location following the same alignement on the de Lavaux plan. THe fill contained dumps of medieval roof tile, a large proportion of which appears to be waste material from manufacture. Although no evidence for in-situ kiln structure was found, it is possible that tile making was being practiced on or close to the site. A similar feature, a gully, on a broadly simialr alignemnt in Trench II may be significantly earlier, possibly Roman in date. Sealed by the agricultural soil are features cut into the clay subsoil which appear to be Roman in date. On the current limited evidence they appear to be the foundations of buildings.