Site Event/Activity record ECH6715 - Hunter Street, Chester: Archaeological Mitigation Report

Wardell Armstrong LLP were commissioned by Watkin Jones Group to undertake a scheme of archaeological mitigation at Hunter Street, Chester. The investigations were required to mitigate the impact upon the known archaeological remains ahead of a new development comprising student accommodation with associated services, vehicular access and landscaping for which planning permission has been received from Cheshire West and Chester Council. The archaeological mitigation comprised a Watching Brief during initial ground reduction and all excavations for gas, electrical and drainage services; additionally three areas were mitigated by archaeological Excavation. The combination of archaeological Watching Brief and Excavation was implemented to uphold a preservation in-situ strategy during groundworks and construction and to maintain a minimum loss of the archaeological resource from the Site. The archaeological works have recorded the demolition remains from a potential interval tower within the Roman fort wall, sections through the associated rampart, features of the intervallum area including the road surface of the Via Sagularis, a kiln and a large associated sewer. An assemblage of artefacts and palaeoenvironmental material, predominantly dating from the 2nd to 3rd centuries AD, was recovered from across the Site, demarcating a period of increased and substantial activity. A further small assemblage of Medieval artefacts was recovered from upper rampart deposits across the Site, indicative of the re-working or refurbishment of the rampart in that period. The archaeological works also recorded the extent of truncation associated with the archaeological works undertaken in the 1980s, during the expansion of St. Martin’s Way and the construction of the western boundary wall. Although previous archaeological works had identified partial truncation within the Site boundary, its extent wasn’t fully characterised or known. (1)