Site Event/Activity record ECH6150 - A programme of Repair and Refurbishment at the King Charles Tower, City Walls, Chester

As a constituent part of ongoing assessment and maintenance of the Chester City Walls, an archaeological watching brief, programme of recording and limited trial trenching was undertaken at the King Charles Tower between December 2011 and May 2012. There were four main areas of Intervention which comprise Area 1 the lower chamber of the tower Area 2 the upper chamber of the tower Area 3 the City Walls’ walkway adjacent to the tower Area 4 exposed Roman (probably) masonry at the foot of the tower Area 1 Chief amongst the discoveries made during work within the lower chamber were the modifications made to the arrow slits and the identification of the thicker masonry of the tower below floor level. The arrow slits, and the spaces created through modification, were subsequently filled in, raising the sill level to their present heights. This probably took place late in the nineteenth century as artistic impressions of the tower prior to this date show these openings to their full length in the external masonry of the tower (see Boughton 1997, pls. 74 & 79–81). The complete removal of the existing twentieth century timber flooring and its joists allowed a full record to be completed of the sandstone paving previously observed during the evaluation stage Furthermore, the removal of the flooring revealed the sandstone and cobblestone surface (1008) sealed beneath a layer of loose dust and debris. The small test pit excavated against the east side of the tower wall encountered a deep infill deposit of rubble and sand containing fragments of pottery and clay pipe potentially dating to the second half of the seventeenth century. Significantly, just below the level of the surface (1008), an offset in the masonry of the tower walls was exposed. The thicker, lower masonry (1006) of the tower walls superficially shared a similar pink-coloured mortar to that of the core material (1013) to the thinner, upper masonry (1000) of the tower walls as revealed in the sill of window Bay 4, perhaps suggesting contemporary construction. The offset in the masonry of the tower structure may have supported a timber floor at this level. This poses the question as to whether or not the tower was hollow from this point down, only to be filled in and made a solid mass at a later date, seemingly in the seventeenth century. Again, this potential modification may have taken place during, or as a prelude to, the Civil War, in order to strengthen and make the tower more resilient to artillery bombardment. The finds recovered from, and graffiti observed within, the lower chamber provide a insight into the more genteel use of the tower during the post-medieval period following the turbulent years of the Civil Wars. Visitors to the tower during the reign of King George III betray their presence through coin loss from this period; visitors to the tower prior to decimalisation of the coinage of the current monarchy are similarly represented. In the years 1867–8 the chamber appears to have been used as a sheltered location to read newspapers, journals and personal correspondences as represented by the paper artefacts, alongside other personal items, recovered from the window bays. Tools, fixtures and fittings, and even window cleaning fluid, represent the items necessary for the everyday repair and maintenance of the tower. Area 2 The work undertaken in the upper chamber was more limited in scope archaeologically than that of the lower chamber. Voiding was identified between the mortared material above the vault separating the two chambers, and the ragged, offset masonry upon which the west wall of the upper chamber was constructed. West of the current door threshold into the chamber from the external staircase, a single cracked paving slab was exposed. This sandstone slab may represent the scant remains of a former floor surface but at a significantly lower level than the current threshold level. The blocked arrow slit in the south side of the chamber, east of the doorway, was recorded photographically, and a single stone removed from the blocking revealed the thickness of the tower wall in this location. The arrow slit is no longer visible within the outer masonry skin of the tower owing to later alterations, but this was clearly not the case during the nineteenth century when, yet again, a number of artistic impressions captured this feature (see Boughton 1997, pls. 79 and 80). Area 4 In general terms the results from Area 3 reflected the findings from the earlier evaluation stage of the archaeological investigations. Removal of the walkway paving and associated underlying deposits revealed post-medieval soil and rubble levelling material, further evidence for the widening of the City Wall immediately west of the tower was also recorded. The results from Trial Trench A suggested that the upper level of the earlier, narrower City Wall (3006) - immediately west of the tower - appears to have been truncated. The base of the west wall (3002) of the tower sits at a level c. 0.40m higher than the surviving masonry of the City Wall, but the mortar layer it rests on appears to be contemporary with the City Wall structure. This is unfortunate, as evidence supporting an original D-shape form to the tower could have been removed from this area. However, such evidence may survive between the trial trench and the NW corner of the tower where the paving was not lifted. In Test Trench B, towards the south end of the area under investigation, two squared blocks of sandstone masonry (3012) were revealed, both mortared to the core of the earlier, narrower City Wall. One of these blocks showed evidence of having potentially been cut away on the west side, perhaps implying that it extended farther in this direction; traces of mortar adhering to the upper surface of this block suggest that further courses were at one time present. The purpose of this masonry remains at present uncertain, although one possibility is that it represents the footings of an external structure associated with the tower, perhaps taking the form of a stair turret enclosing a spiral newel staircase. That some alteration to the SW corner of the tower has taken place was evident by the different character of the lowest seven to eight courses of masonry (3003). This element of the tower structure is offset from that above, and the uppermost course is chamfered with the whole taking the appearance of something akin to a vertically truncated engaged buttress. A butt join was noted between the north end of the west wall of the staircase providing access to the upper chamber against that of the masonry element (3003) and the former must, therefore, post-date the construction of the latter. The SW corner of the tower sits upon an offset plinth (3007) of sandstone masonry. The function of this plinth is uncertain but it may represent a continuation of an earlier phase of the south wall of the tower extending out across the line of the earlier, narrower City Wall (3006). If so, then this would give some support to the notion that the tower was once of tapered D-shape plan, with two slightly converging faces extending back across the City Wall (see CWaC 2011 24–5 for discussion regarding alternative original plans). Significantly, the 1.5m wide masonry plinth reflects the wider, lower masonry of the tower as encountered in the small test pit excavated beneath the floor of the lower chamber (see Area 1 above). A glimpse of a piece of yellow-grey coloured sandstone, or Yorkstone, mortared onto this plinth, led to the erroneous conclusion at the evaluation stage that this represented an earlier pavement level (see Earthworks 2010; CWaC 2011); this has clearly been shown not to be the case. Occupying the space between the plinth (3007) and the masonry blocks (3012), and cutting down into the core of the City Wall, was a trench containing a brick-lined culvert (3013); this was capped with sandstone flagstones (3014). The culvert extended across the narrower, earlier City Wall (3006) and onward across to the façade of the later wider wall (3010) implying that this drainage feature was either inserted after construction of the later wall or was otherwise contemporary with it. No outflow for the culvert was noted in the masonry making up the west face of the later wall, but metal fixtures betraying the location of a probable downspout were noted protruding from the west wall of the stairs which offer access to the upper chamber. It seems apparent therefore that the culvert was operational following insertion of the stairs. Area 4 During the archaeological watching brief at the King Charles Tower a significant structural element, comprising large squared blocks of sandstone masonry, was observed close to the base of the tower. This is likely to be Roman masonary and had not been previously recorded. It is believed they have only recently been exposed through soil erosion. Recoridng and excavation of a test pit were carried out. Up to seven courses of masonry were recorded, although clearly there are more surviving at a lower depth beneath the level of excavation. The lower courses exposed during the excavation of the small test pit were exceptionally well preserved, with very little weathering apparent on the face. The upper courses have evidently been exposed to the elements so and are showing evidence of such exposure.