Site Event/Activity record ECH6483 - Liverpool Road, Chester: Archaeological Desk Based Assessment

Archaeological desk-based assessment undertaken for a site at Liverpool Road, Chester (SJ 40403 67016), in support of an application for 321 residential units for student accommodation, together with communal facilities. The site lies within the Chester Area of Archaeological Importance and is situated to the north of the Roman fortress, alongside the roads leading to the Wirral and Wilderspool, in an area thought to have been occupied by an extensive cemetery. The cemetery is evidenced by the recovery of both Roman cremations and inhumations over a wide area and the relatively undisturbed nature of the application area, until the construction of the bus depot, makes this a site where there is a particular potential for the presence of burials. Archaeological excavations in the immediate vicinity, most recently during the construction of student accommodation to the west of Liverpool Road, have also revealed evidence of Roman features including ditches, one of which was claimed to display military characteristics. The location of the site within the northern suburbs of medieval and early post-medieval Chester means that deposits dating to these periods may also be present on the site. The site appears to have remained as largely open ground until the 20th century and the construction of the bus depot. This would suggest that, in common with other sites in the vicinity which have been subject to investigation, deep accumulations of archaeological strata are unlikely to be present. Any deposits that survived the construction of the bus depot will, therefore, lie immediately below the relict topsoil and modern overburden at relatively shallow depth. As such, they will be extremely vulnerable to disturbance or destruction during construction of the proposed development. (1)