Site Event/Activity record ECH5224 - Large area excavation south side of The Bars, on land formerly occupied by the BT Exchange

Interim note and press release for Roman finds at the former BT Exchange, the Bars in 2002 (1). Post ex report not finished, site summary provided in 2013. GIS location of SJ does not locate this site in the correct location.SJ 4127 6652 GIS location updated 29/09/2016 to match the grid reference given in the Press Release. The site lies in the eastern suburb of the Roman, Mediaeval and Post-Mediaeval town and during the Roman period it would have fronted onto the main road that led out of the east gate of the fortress. The area beneath the former building (demolished prior to the commencement of the archaeological excavation) was deeply cellared and as a result all archaeological remains associated with the former street frontage properties has been lost. However, to the rear (south) and side (west) of the building, at depths of between 1.50m and 2m below ground level, important Roman remains were found. The most prominent feature on the site was a seemingly natural stream bed that once ran south towards the River Dee. This stream had clearly been managed and adapted in Roman times to form a channel lined with both timber and stone and up to 2m wide. Once it had outlived its usefulness the channel was seen by the occupants of Roman Chester as a convenient place to dump rubbish and it was filled with great quantities of discarded pottery, building material and animal bone. During the course of the excavation of the fills of this feature, there was no discernible phasing or clear layering; the contexts were waterlogged and it was not easy to differentiate between contexts/phases of dumping. Examination of the section of the feature at different points along its length does, however, suggest periodic re-cutting. But the preliminary scan of the pottery from all fill contexts indicates dumping occurred during the 2nd century and probably into the 3rd. A substantial sandstone rubble trackway gave access to the western edge of the channel/culvert and various post-holes - on both sides of the channel - perhaps represent the remains of a timber bridge structure. Other Roman pit features observed and recorded included the remains of a possible kiln structure, but its purpose was not obvious. In a small narrow strip on the west side of the site, close to the present street frontage, the remains of sturdy sandstone structure, measuring at least 1.50m² and over 2m high, had been retained within a post-mediaeval cellar. At first this enigmatic feature was thought to represent a surviving part of The Bars structure - a mediaeval defensive outwork located at the end of Foregate Street and demolished in the late eighteenth century - but further investigation demonstrated clea