Site Event/Activity record ECH6240 - Archaeological Evaluation at the Walled Garden, Dean's Field. Abbey Street, Chester

An archaeological evaluation was carried out at the site of a walled garden located on the southern edge of the Dean's Field, off Abbey Street, Chester Cathedral within the City of Chester. . The objectives of the evaluation were to establish the presence, depth and character of the archaeological remains present within the proposed development area in order to inform any future constraints or mitigation measures associated with a proposed falconry centre. Archaeological remains in the form of garden soils, brick and sandstone structures, midden-type deposits and cultivations soils of Post Medieval date were encountered in all three evaluation trenches. No Medieval or Roman archaeology was encountered within the limits of excavation in all three evaluation trenches. However, based on the historic mapping and previous excavations in the area it seems likely that it will be present beneath the Post Medieval cultivation soils encountered in Trenches 1 and 3 at a depth of greater than c.0.85m (26.965 m OD). Details of the proposed ground disturbance associated with the new Falconry Centre are yet to be finalised. Based on current information it would seem that limited ground disturbance for post-settings and modern services to no greater depth than 0.5m (27.316 m OD) is likely to have a low impact on the buried archaeological resource.