Site Event/Activity record ECH6770 - Chester Cathedral Green 2019: Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment

A desk-based assessment was produced in 2019 for the Cathedral Green and Chester Cathedral. It is an area of open ground to the north of the choir of the Cathedral and south of Abbey Street, bounded on the west by the cloister and to the east by the City Walls. It forms part of the Cathedral estate and lies within the precinct as defined by the Care of Cathedrals Measure. This desk-based assessment was commissioned by the Chapter of the Cathedral in order to assist with the management and future development of the estate. Although it is now an open grassed area adjacent to the Cathedral, there is much evidence for former occupation on the site. Archaeological observations have been made over a long period of time but particularly during the construction of the new Song School on the upper floor of the east cloister range during 2000 to 2004. These observations related particularly to the medieval period when the Cathedral was a Benedictine Abbey, but also revealed evidence for the Roman and post-medieval periods. In addition, there is a range of historical, cartographic and pictorial records which trace the development of the area during the post-medieval period following the dissolution of the abbey in 1540 and its refoundation as a cathedral in 1541. The earliest known occupation of the site is Roman. The area of the Green was occupied by barrack blocks from the Roman legionary fortress dating from the late first century A.D. and aligned east to west. The City Walls lie on the line of the legionary defences which were backed by a rampart and road (the intervallum road) and service buildings. Remains of these lie under the eastern part of the Green. However, the most impressive remains date to the medieval period and the Benedictine Abbey. A wing of the dorter (dormitory) extended eastwards from the cloister ranges. It was a twin-aisled structure of eight bays with a stone vault. The reredorter (latrines), incorporating the main abbey drain, lay on its northern side. Archaeological discoveries have demonstrated that the walls of the undercrofts of these ranges survive to a considerable height beneath the modern ground surface. Moreover, the main abbey drain still functions as a major outfall for the cathedral. A range of buildings around three sides of a courtyard occupied the eastern part of the Green. These are thought to have formed the monasticninfirmary. Finally, around the eastern end of the Lady Chapel, burials are presumed to survive from the former graveyard that occupied this area. The buildings under the Green survived for a considerable period after the dissolution of the Abbey in 1540 and its refoundation as the Cathedral in the following year. The wing of the dorter range was demolished early in the 19th century. The infirmary range, however, appears to have been adapted and extended through the 18th century and was known as Little Abbey Court or simply Abbey Court. It provided accommodation for cathedral clergy. The similarity in plan between the medieval infirmary range, as recorded on a 17th century plan, and Little Abbey Court, as shown on early maps, suggests that the latter retained much of the medieval plan and probably medieval fabric as well. The buildings were demolished at the end of the 19th century and the current grassed space was laid out. Much less is known archaeologically about the infirmary and its successor buildings than the dorter range. However, significant archaeological deposits are known to lie at a relatively shallow depth under the modern ground surface in the eastern parts of the Green. (1)