Site Event/Activity record ECH6887 - Archaeological Watching Brief Report: Frodsham Street, Chester

An Archaeological Watching Brief was carried out in 2020 during emergency electrical repair works on Frodsham Street, Chester. The Watching Brief was implemented because of the potential for archaeological remains and due to its location within Chester’s Archaeology Zone 24, Frodsham Street, and the City Centre Conservation Area. The site lies outside of the Roman fortress, but within the historic Medieval core. During the Medieval period it was a known thoroughfare for cattle going to market or the pastoral fields to the north, and was known as Cowe Lane. By the late 18th century the street became known as Warrington Street and by 1821 the name had changed to Frodsham Street. The road layout changed very little over this time, with the buildings fronting it constantly changing. The objectives of the Watching Brief were to identify, characterise and record any exposed below ground archaeological remains found within the service trench. The works monitored did not encounter any surviving archaeological remains. Modern deposits were recorded to a depth of 0.75m below ground level, which cut into the natural sandstone and sand deposits identified at 0.65m. (1)