Site Event/Activity record ECH6927 - 26 & 28 Nicholas Street, Chester, Cheshire: Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment

An archaeological desk-based assessment and site visit were undertaken in 2021 for land at 26 & 28 Nicholas Street, Chester, prior to proposed development of the site, converting the former office buildings, outbuildings and carpark to create an aparthotel. The assessment revealed that there is a high potential for archaeological remains within the site dating to the Roman and medieval periods. The western portion of the proposed development area lies within that part of Chester which is known to have been the site of an extensive settlement during the Roman period (canabae), which lay between the western defences of the Roman fortress at Chester (Deva) and the River Dee with its natural harbour. The western portion of the site also lay within the precinct of the Dominican Friary in the medieval period; the precinct boundary apparently bisecting the east side of the proposed development area. The significance of the Roman settlement and the Dominican Friary has been recognised through their inclusion within Chester’s Area of Archaeological Importance (AAI). Following Dissolution of the Monasteries around 1539, the friaries in Chester were forcibly disbanded and their lands sold to prominent citizens, who tended to convert the complexes into private residences. The area along Nicholas Street was subsequently developed in the post-medieval period but the portion of the proposed development area located on Nicholas Street Mews was seemingly within an area of garden plots. The 18th century saw an influx of wealthy landed families and town houses were constructed to the west of the city, included those in the vicinity of the proposed development area. No.s 26 & 28 Nicholas Street form part of a terrace of town houses, constructed in the 1780s and are designated Grade II listed buildings. No.3 Nicholas Street Mews was built within the current site boundary in the early 19th century as a coachman's cottage, with coach houses and stable. Trial trenching undertaken in 2018 at this property revealed that the current house was built over a sandstone-walled basement of later 18th/19th century date. Buildings are also shown as occupying the proposed development area on the west side of Nicholas Street Mews on the 1845 Tithe map. Early Ordnance Survey maps illustrate two separate properties, with an outbuilding and gardens to the rear of the houses. These have since been demolished, the land being utilised as a car park. Previous archaeological investigations in Chester have demonstrated the survival of archaeological remains in the vicinity of the site, dating from the Roman and medieval periods. In particular, previous excavations at Nicholas Street Mews have revealed the robbed-out remains of one or more Roman buildings, comprising a number of individual rooms equipped with hypercausts. The precinct wall of the Dominican Friary has also been revealed to the south of the site. This is believed to have crossed the east side of the proposed development area. Potential archaeological remains within the proposed development area could therefore provide new information about the history, development and function of the Roman civilian settlement, and features relating to the Dominican Friary, as well as the medieval and post-medieval occupation of the area. (1)