Monument record 8118 - Second Century Timber Building, 14 - 18 Duke Street

A large rectangular timber building, constructed during the second half of the second century, was revealed during an archaeological evaluation at 14 – 18 Duke St., Chester, in 2002 (1). The building appears to have been aligned north – south, having a width of approximately 6m and was at least 7m long. The western wall line was defined by a shallow gully filled with sandstone fragments to produce a foundation to the timber superstructure.

The eastern wall was either not furnished with the same solid base or else the sandstone had been subsequently removed for reuse elsewhere. Pottery recovered from the eastern wall footing suggested that it was backfilled during the late second or early third century (1). A few postholes identified to the east of this building may have represented part of a fence line, possibly indicating a property division between the rectangular building and the building with the apse discovered on the eastern side of the site during the 1990 archaeological evaluation (1).

<1> Gifford and Partners, 2002, Duke Street, Chester: Report on an archaeological Evaluation (Client Report). SCH6221.