Monument record 10970/1/0 - Port Wall

The present port wall dates to the late 18th or 19th century and has been recorded in a number of places along the east bank of the river between the Roodee and the canal. It was probably initially constructed following the canalisation of the River Dee in the late 18th century but has since been significantly repaired and replaced since then.

The quay wall as recorded during archaeological investigations at the old port in 2000 consisted of several sections of wall either of sandstone blocks of handmade brick broken only by a number of slipways and wharfs. The excavations included a number of trial pits to the rear of the wall.

The evidence from the trial pits consisted of several gabions (wire ‘baskets' filling with rubble or stone and used as supports for a retaining wall) in the upper levels of trench 1 at the southern end of the Roodee below which was a timber beam at approximately the same depth in trenches 1, 1a and 1c. Trench 2, 2a and 3 identified two substantial counterforts, also used to support the quay wall (CHER 10970/1/6).

Trench 5 excavated at the New Crane Wharf indicated the wall was constructed with significantly different widths; with the southern end of the wall decreasing in thickness below the coping course from 0.45m to 0.3m while the northern end it in fact increased substantially in width to 1.2m, possibly representing an earlier wall structure (CHER 10970/1/1).

<1> Matrix Archaeology, 2000, River Wall Restoration, Old Port, Chester: Archaeological Assessment and Watching Brief (Interim Report), R3160 (Client Report). SCH6255.