Monument record 8700 - Excavated Roman Sandstone Rubble, Hunter Street

<1> Oxford Archaeology North, 2019, Northgate Redevelopment, Phase 1, Grassy Knoll, Chester: Archaeological Strip, Map and Record Report, R4488 (Client Report). SCH8973.

An extensive horizon of sandstone rubble was identified in three archaeological evaluation trenches, excavated in 2019 in the Grassy Knoll (also known as the ‘pocket park’) on the south side of Hunter Street. The rubble almost certainly derives from buildings in the Roman legionary fortress, in this case probably barrack blocks within the central range. A fragment of sandstone walling, potentially forming part of one of these barracks, was also recorded in Trench A. These remains were buried beneath a considerable depth of later material, so that they mostly were approximately 1.7-2.5m below the modern surface across the area investigated. The significant archaeological remains were sealed by a thick build-up of dark soils that, from the associated finds, appear to have accumulated over a prolonged period, potentially (on stratigraphic grounds), from the early post-Roman period to the post-medieval period.