Monument record 8663 - Roman Military-Style Ditch, 51 - 57 Upper Northgate Street

<1> L-P Archaeology, 2013, Archaeological Evaluation Report for 51-57 Upper Northgate Street, Chester, R3511 (Client Report). SCH7213.

Archaeological investigations to the rear of 51 - 57 Upper Northgate Street recorded a number of Roman features, including possible drainage and boundary ditches, and agricultural features, dug into bedrock and sealed by a medieval cultivation layer (CHER 8640). Another ditch (this monument) was also found off Chichester Street, which was a deep, rock-cut Roman military ditch running east - west. It was a V-cut ditch, 4m wide by 1.5 m deep, and is thought to have represented a Roman fortified position. Potentially, this is an encampment area established during the construction of the fortress, or where another legionary group were temporarily stationed

<2> L-P Archaeology, 2016, Archaeological Watching Brief Report for 51-57 Upper Northgate Street (Client Report). SCH8089.

A watching brief at this site in 2016 identified a deep, V-cut, Roman ditch cut into the bedrock and running parallel to Chichester Street at the northern edge of the site. The upper surface of the ditch was exposed, but it was not excavated. This ditch had been previously identified during the evaluation in 2013 and has been protected as part of the design of the development.

The archaeological watching brief has revealed some interesting new information regarding this area of Chester. It is clear that the area was active during the Roman period, likely by a small roadside settlement with a secondary defensive ditch to the north of the fortress.
The fragments of Roman CBM from the Upper Northgate Street site are of local/regional significance and indicate the presence of buildings roofed with ceramic tiles in the vicinity; probably spanning the late 1st to late 4th century AD.