Monument record 8678 - Excavated Roman Wall/Foundation, The Old Palace

<1> Earthworks Archaeological Services, 2017, Proposed Alterations at The Old Palace, The Groves, Chester: An Archaeological Evaluation, R4126 (Client Report). SCH8401.

In May 2017 an archaeological evaluation recorded intact deposits of Roman date (trench 4b) at The Old Palace, Chester. A short length of masonry wall or foundation, aligned north-west to south-east, was encountered towards the south-west end of the trench. It lay at a depth of circa 2.60m below current ground level and was sealed by a layer of brown sand containing pottery and ceramic building material of Roman date. The masonry remains comprised a line of at least three blocks of roughly-squared, red sandstone, measuring circa 0.25m wide. Lying on the upper surface of the northernmost sandstone block, and almost certainly in situ, was a large fragment of Roman-period brick. Owing to the depth of the excavated trench, no further exploration of the masonry remains proved possible.