Monument record 10625 - Wall and Cobble Surface, Possibly Demolished Tollhouse, Watergate

A wall and an associated cobbled surface were identified during a watching brief at the north end of Nicholas St. Mews, at Watergate St. between 2009 and 2012 (1). The investigations were carried out during the installation of gas pipelines and involved a large number of trenches across the city. In Trench 105, a complex sequence of post medieval remains were identified, the latest of these a wall (CHER 10623), built over a deposit of dumped material (CHER 10624).

Also overlying CHER 10624 was this wall (not related to the former) and the surface, in another part of the trench. The wall (Context 1039) was aligned north – south, and was four courses of sandstone blocks; the structure appeared to be facing out to the west. The cobble surface (Context 1040) was a single course of cobbles set in a sandy matrix with crushed sandstone and appeared to be external to the wall. The excavators suggested that the wall may have belonged to a demolished tollhouse for the Watergate that was known to have been at this location. The tollhouse was demolished in 1782 (1).

<1> Balfour Beatty, 2012, Chester City Centre, Cheshire Gas Improvement Works, R3321 (Client Report). SCH6784.