Site Event/Activity record ECH6593 - Upton-by-Chester High School, Chester, Cheshire. August 2013: Archaeological Watching Brief

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken in 2013 at Upton-by-Chester High School, St. James’s Avenue, Upton, Chester, during groundworks associated with the construction of a multi-use games area with floodlights. No archaeological features, deposits, or structures were encountered, despite its proximity to the Scheduled Ancient Monument of a Roman camp 300.0m west of Upton Grange Farm (1014376), located 20.0m to the north. Also no artefacts of Roman date were found. The lack of any archaeological features within the watching brief area and within the eight lighting column trenches can almost certainly be attributed to the disturbance experienced in the last twenty years. The construction of the staff car park, existing tennis courts, hard-standing around the school proper, and the former bungalow site has resulted in a truncation of the natural glacial substrata. This would have removed all archaeological remains with the exception of deeply cut negative features such as defensive ditches. As such the watching brief may have been within the correct location to observe archaeological remains associated with the Roman camp, but the evidence no longer exists. (1)