Monument record 8453 - Northern Roman Building, Former Grosvenor Club, Vicar's Lane

During excavations to the rear of the former Grosvenor Club on Vicar’s Lane in 1989, two Roman buildings, separated by an alleyway were recorded; this monument refers to the northernmost of these buildings, the most completely excavated of the two. Built early in the second century with masonry external walls which survived up to seven courses high and timber and clay internal partitions (1). Joist impressions in the underlying clay show that it originally had timber floors in some rooms.

This building continued in occupation through the second century, with several new floors and reconstructions of the partitions. The entrance in the southern wall seems to have been built on a grand scale with flanking columns, parts of which have been recovered from the excavation. The recovered finds suggests that the building was of a domestic character.

During the second century it evidently developed a structural problem; the southern wall overlay an earlier ditch (CHER 8525) and subsidence occurred. Attempts to support it with a bank of clay and stone were only temporarily successful and by the end of the second century the structure was rebuilt: the outer wall was replaced by a colonnade of posts and a substantial kerb, forming a veranda on the southern side of the building. The full extent of this building or its precise location are not clear with the available published information.

<1> Grosvenor Museum Excavations Newsletter, 1989, Summary of Excavations in Chester (Newsletter). SCH6274.