Site Event/Activity record ECH6183 - Archaeological Watching Brief at the Mill Hotel, Chester

An archaeological watching brief was carried out on land adjoining the Mill Hotel, to the south of Milton Street, Chester. Research shows the site lies outside of the Roman legionary fortress of Deva and the Medieval city defences. During the Medieval period it is recorded as open fields. The site remained open until the late 18th century; when the arrival of the Chester Canal system brought urban and industrialisation to the area. Structures are first seen on the site by 1816. The archaeological monitoring revealed a series of late Post Medieval and modern deposits. A series of modern services were cut from beneath the tarmac surface. An east-west sandstone wall was encountered to the west of the site at a depth of 0.6m and it is believed to be associated with an earlier phase of the standing building, dating to the 19th century mill. No significant archaeological deposits or features were encountered during the works.