Site Event/Activity record ECH6899 - Northgate Redevelopment, Phase 1, Chester: Archaeological Watching Brief Report

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken in 2020 at the site of the Northgate Redevelopment, on Hunter Street and St Martin’s Way, Chester (NGR: SJ 40312 66457), in support of the Phase 1 works. In total, seven watching brief test-pits (Test-pits 1 to 7) were excavated, to determine the depth, below the modern surface, of the uppermost significant archaeological deposits, and to identify any areas where significant archaeology may have been damaged or destroyed. The purpose of this was to determine the potential impact, on significant archaeological remains, of proposed structural features in this area, such as pile caps and lift pits, the trenches being positioned to encompass the proposed locations of as many of these features as was practicable. The top of significant archaeology was identified in three test-pits (Test pits 2, 3 and 4). This comprised a fragment of a wall (Test pit 2), an horizon of sandstone rubble (Test-pit 3), and a dark soil containing Roman ceramics (Test pit 4). The sandstone rubble deposits identified in Test pits 2 and 3 are almost certainly associated with buildings in the Roman legionary fortress, probably barrack blocks within the central range. The significant archaeological remains were sealed by a thick build-up of dark soils that appear to have accumulated over a prolonged period, potentially (on stratigraphic grounds), from the early post-Roman period to the post-medieval period. (1) Post excavation analysis for the full scheme of mitigation undertaken as part of the Phase 1 re-development. (2)