Building record 12000/10 - Chester City Walls - Wall between Morgan's Mount and Northgate

This section of the city walls extends from Morgan’s Mount (CHER 12000/9) to the Northgate (CHER 12000/12), and is one of the few sections that incorporates visible Roman masonry (probably dating to the second century, see CHER 8202). The medieval parts of the wall date to the late eleventh or early twelfth centuries, but were converted to a raised promenade between 1702 and 1708, and are of coursed red sandstone rubble. A segmental-arched opening through the wall (CHER 12000/10/1) is found opposite Pemberton Rd., and a similar opening, but narrower, with an iron gate (CHER 12000/10/2) is found opposite Canning St. The medieval part of the wall has a twice weathered plinth that is partly built on top of the Roman wall. This length of the wall is approximately 316m long by 2m wide (8). Small scale excavations carried out near the Engineering Yard in 1980 (ECH3155) revealed the Roman bank, but the available published material on this work does not provide any information on the medieval or post medieval wall (14, 10).

<1> Simpson, F., 1910, The Walls of Chester, /30 (Book). SCH3255.

<2> Pevsner N & Hubbard E, 1971, The Buildings of England: Cheshire, /155 (Book). SCH3078.

<3> multiple authors, 1984/85, Excavation Reports and Sites Observed (Article in Journal). SCH5812.

<4> Harris, B.E., 1979, Bartholomew City Guides - Chester, /93 (Book). SCH394.

<5> Morris, Rupert H (Rev.), 1894, Chester in the Plantagenet & Tudor Reigns, /245 (Book). SCH946.

<6> LeQuesne C, 1999, Excavations at Chester: The Roman and Later Defences Part I (Monograph). SCH6156.

<7> Donald Insall Associates, Chester City Walls Conservation Management Plan, R3251 (Client Report). SCH6603.

<8> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 470123 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

<9> Shrubsole, George W, 1887, The City Walls of Chester, is any Part of Them Roman? (Appendix) (Article in Journal). SCH5544.

<10> multiple authors, 1982, Excavation Reports and Sites Observed (Article in Journal). SCH5808.

<11> Shrubshole, George W, 1887, On the age of the City Walls of Chester (Article in Journal). SCH6532.

<12> Birch, W de Gray, 1887, On the discoveries made in the City Walls (Article in Journal). SCH6533.

<13> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I (Book). SCH3556.

<14> multiple authors, 1980/81, Excavation Reports and Sites Observed, p42 (Article in Journal). SCH5806.

<15> Earthworks Archaeological Services, 2013, Investigations into the Condition of the City Walls, Close to the North Gate Steps, Chester, R3488 (Client Report). SCH7180.

In November 2012, archaeological investigations were undertaken on the City Wall and the Northgate Steps, immediately to the west of the North Gate. The work was necessary due to the fact that the steps structure had been separating from the City Wall for some time. Six trenches were excavated in order to assess the character, significance and date of the deposits and structural remains. A watching brief was also maintained during the limited and controlled removal of masonry from the north and south elevations to the City Walls.

Trenches 1 and 2 were located on the walkway of the City Wall. Results here demonstrated that the steps and City Wall structures had been separating for a considerable period. A void between the two structures was recorded which had been historically packed with sandstone blocks and rubble. The movement of the steps from away from the City Wall had also resulted in the dislodging and splitting of some of the ashlar blocks of the inner face of the City Wall. Trench 2 also revealed a roofed chamber incorporated into the City Wall. At this point, the City Wall itself was of thinner build and lacking in situ facing blocks implying that it had been cut back at some point.

<16> Matrix Archaeology, 2013, Northgate Steps, Water Tower Street, Chester Archaeological Assessment, R3487 (Client Report). SCH7179.

Following the initial investigations in 2012 of the City Wall and steps structure, and the discovery of the chamber within the City Wall, further documentary research was undertaken in 2013. Both documentary and cartographic sources attest that, by the mid eighteenth century, a line of buildings extended westwards from the Northgate, built against the inner face of the City Wall and fronting on Water Tower Street. The city plan surveyed by Alexander de Lavaux in 1745 depicts these as a single block, but on a later plan of 1789 (James Hunter), the range is not continuous. Some of the properties were in private ownership, others were owned by the Corporation and leased to tenants, such as the pair of cottages (see 11498) located just to the west of area of the steps. Following demolition of the cottages in 1877 by the Improvement Committee, the City Wall was widened, removing or concealing evidence for the floors or roof of the cottages. The widening included the construction of the open chamber and large arched doorway recorded by the 2012 investigations. The arched doorway was probably blocked in the early 20th century, resulting in the present appearance of the wall.

<17> Earthworks Archaeological Services, 2018, Northgate Steps, City Walls, Chester: An Archaeological Watching Brief, R4271 (Client Report). SCH8626.

Between 2016 and 2018, archaeological monitoring of the dismantling of the unstable steps structure occurred. As the steps structure was removed, the previously unexposed masonry of the inner face of the City Wall was revealed and recorded. The masonry generally consisted of small, squared blocks of sandstone in regular, but in some instances more random, coursing. Some masonry was clearly re-used, including large blocks that may have originated from the Roman remains. Lime-based mortar bonding was noted throughout. Where exposed towards the west end of the site, the core material of the wall consisted of sandstone rubble in a matrix of brown sandy soil. Although the stratigraphic relationship of the this section of City wall was established in relation to both earlier and later structural elements, no independent dating evidence for its construction was forthcoming. However, from both documentary evidence and archaeological evidence from previous investigations, it is clear that substantial rebuilding of the City Wall west of the North Gate occurred during the early 18th century.

Also revealed through dismantling of the steps structure were the lower, hidden courses of ashlar masonry belonging to the stretch of City Wall flanking the west side of architect Thomas Harrison’s North Gate, constructed during the period 1808–10. The condition of the ashlar masonry, where hitherto hidden behind the steps structure, was fresh, angular, unweathered, and exhibited the marks from the tooling used during its dressing; this was in stark contrast to the condition of the upper courses of masonry that had been exposed to the damaging effects of both time and the elements. The masonry of this flanking wall was set back up to 0.11m to that of the section of the earlier wall described above.

<18> Earthworks Archaeological Services, 2020, Northgate Steps, City Walls, Chester: Further Archaeological Watching Brief, R4440 (Client Report). SCH8885.

Following on from the archaeological investigation work undertaken between 2016-2018 (see source 17), further archaeological monitoring and recording occurred between September 2019 and April 2020. Whereas the masonry remains of the Roman north gate (porta decumana) were to be preserved in situ during the planned rebuilding of the Steps structure, elements of the earthen defences and core material at the base of the City Wall required controlled removal as part of the rebuild enabling works.

To the west of the North Gate, the evidence encountered during the excavation of stone rubble core material beneath the City Wall has demonstrated that the upper deposit of rubble is of post-medieval date, below this the rubble core is Roman in date. Furthermore, the stratigraphic level at which the these deposits meet coincides with the level of the large and in situ blocks of masonry interpreted as belonging to the Roman revetment wall of the masonry gate tower.