Monument record 10696 - Medieval structure at Hunter Street

Archaeological investigations in trenches 1 and 2 to the rear of the present library in 1979 recorded evidence of medieval cultivation soils consisting of a dark generally fine loam overlying the Roman material.

The earliest structural evidence (Phase 2) here consisted of the north west corner of a sandstone lined cellar or undercroft probably fronting onto Northgate Street. The walls consisted of up to six courses of well cut and regularly laid sandstone ashlar above the cut face of the bedrock.

Immediately to the north west, and presumably outside the cellar, lay a large rectangular pit [P9]. The early fills of the pit consisted of lenses of cess material and later infilled with soil and charcoal.

The third phase of activity consisted of the robbed out remains of a substantial wall [F11] on a north-south alignment c.6m to the west of the cellar. Contemporary with the addition of the wall, the cellar appears to have been infilled with mixed soil and some rubble with the exception of the north west corner which appears to have been annexed by the introduction of an east-west aligned retaining wall to create a stone lined cess pit. A number of other pits were added at this time, primarily in use as cess or rubbish pits. At some point in the medieval period this entire arrangement appears to have been demolished to make way for a new structure.

Following the demolition of the earlier stone features, the entire area appears to have undergone a substantial reconstruction. The stone boundary wall was robbed out and replaced with a lighter wall immediately to the east [W1] constructed of rough masonry with almost no foundation along with a return wall on an east-west alignment to the north [W3].

Pitting activity continued for some time over the site with the cellar replaced by a large pit [P5] with a second pit immediately to the north [P6]. A series of six post holes were then found to the west of P6 and believed to form part of a single timber building contemporary with the pits.

<1> Chester Archaeology, 1980, Princess Street Excavations: Medieval and post medieval features (Unpublished Report). SCH6806.