Monument record 11040 - Well, Cess and Rubbish Pits Below St John's House Cellar, Eastern Seating Bank Amphitheatre

The cellar of St John’s House was exposed with the destruction of that building, and when the floor of the cellar was lifted during archaeological activity on the site in 1960 (ECH5054), and a number of other features that pre-dated the eighteenth century house were revealed: a sandstone-lined well, 1.2m in diameter, and a number of irregular pits against the south wall of the cellar, all were apparently contemporary and produced similar pottery, mainly Staffordshire slip- and combed-ware of c1700. It seems probable that an earlier house stood on the site, since drains for St John’s House included fragments of seventeenth century mouldings and a dated building stone of 1664 (2).

<1> Newstead, R (Prof.), 1932, The Roman Amphitheatre at Chester, Newstead R & Droop J P 1932 29/38-40 (Article in Journal). SCH5708.

<2> Thompson A, 1975, The excavations of the Roman amphitheatre at Chester, 105/127-239 Thompson F H 1976 (Article in Journal). SCH6162.

<3> Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Revised List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, City of Chester Extra Mural 1998/ 148 (Unpublished Report). SCH4570.