Monument record 11469 - Excavated Dark Earth Cultivation Deposit, 27 Grosvenor Park Road

<1> Gifford and Partners, 2001, Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief at Deva Garage, 27 Grosvenor Park Road, Chester, R3957 (Client Report). SCH8165.

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken in 2001 during the excavation of groundworks at the former Deva Garage site, 27 Grosvenor Park Road. Late 17th/early 18th century cultivation soils were recorded, comprising a grey sand/silt loam, with the inclusions concentrated towards the base of the deposit also a plough-pan, all suggestive of a cultivation soil.

<2> Wardell Armstrong LLP, 2018, Grosvenor Park Road, Chester, Cheshire: Archaeological Investigation Report, R4313 (Client Report). SCH8698.

Further archaeological evaluation at the 27 Grosvenor Park site in 20187-8, also encountered the layer of dark earth, between the heights of 19.00m and 18.50m aOD, across much of the central and northern area of the site, also in places along the southern edges of the site. This homogenous dark greyish brown humic silty clay was fairly consistent across the site and represents a mixture of cultivated and accumulated soil, the predominant source of which probably relates to when this plot functioned as gardens and orchards to the rear of properties on Foregate Street, previously recorded as dating to the 17th century. However, Roman features appeared to cut the deposit towards the base of this dark earth layer as observed in Trench 7, with post medieval features, finds and horn cores recovered from directly above, which suggests a possible chronology to the build-up of the dark earth. Subsequently, buildings were erected over the dark earth layer in the late post-medieval period to which foundations survived in the south-west and to the north of the site.