Monument record 10388 - Gullies Pre-Dating Dominican Friary Church

Pre-dating the earliest construction phase of the Dominican Friary church building, a series of substantial gullies or linear cut features were recorded during the 1976 - 1978 excavations at the site (ECH2850). Running north – south along a line near what would be inside the east end of the building was a substantial gully c 0.4m deep and c 1m wide. The soft fill of this feature was cut by the foundation trench for the church’s’ first phase (1).

Two additional gullies were found running north – south to the north of the church, and were also found to be filled with a soft sediment. One of these appeared to continue the line of the gully under the church, and the other was 1.8m to the east of the first. Here, the gullies were much smaller, both c 0.3m wide, with U-shaped sections. They have been interpreted as part of some type of boundary or drainage feature, or could indicate the presence of hedges or fences. It is also possible that they represent slots for some sort of timber construction (1, 2).

<1> Ward, S. W., 1990, Excavations at Chester: The Lesser Medieval Religious Houses - Sites Investigated, 1964-83 (Grosvenor Museum Archaeological Excavation & Survey Reports) (Monograph). SCH1193.

<2> multiple authors, 1982, Excavation Reports and Sites Observed, 8/36-38 Ward S 1982 (Article in Journal). SCH5808.