Site Event/Activity record ECH6572 - Archaeological Watching Brief at Grosvenor Park, Chester

Archaeological monitoring and excavation works were carried out between February 2013 and July 2014 at Grosvenor Park, Chester. These works were undertaken as part of a phase of refurbishment, renovation and extension works, which included the refurbishment of the park pathways, demolition of standing structures, the erection of a new pavilion and extension and refurbishment of the Lodge building. The excavations have shown that when the park was established in 1867 a great deal of work was carried out to level the site and prepare it. This work had truncated the Medieval and Roman deposits which still survive in areas of the site. The site can be seen to have been in use from at least the Roman period onwards.The eastern area of the park contains a Roman military ditch, thought to relate to the precursor fortlett that pre-dates the main fortress of Deva. In the central section of the site three phases of Roman agriculture appear to have been present. The latter phase was a homogenous plough soil, which sealed a series of gulleys and pits for drainage and waste. In areas these gulleys had cut earlier pits and gulleys cut into the natural clay. This central area also contained two Medieval pits. Structures associated with the Medieval complex of St John's were found in the western section of the site. The exposed walls are thought to relate to the 11th century Petty Canons houses. All features were recorded in the northern half of the site, leading back form Vicar's Lane and union Street. The limited works carried out in the southern half of the site yielded no archaeological features. It is likely that the sandstone bedrock along the southern end of the site was quarried in the Roman and Medieval periods. The quantity of material needed to build up this area in the 1860s may mean that buried features survive at a greater depth than the excavations were reached. 20th century activity was noted in the eastern area of the site, where WW2 shelters were exposed during the watching brief.