Monument record 8701 - Excavated Roman Sandstone Wall, Hunter Street

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

A fragment of sandstone walling was identified in Trench A, one of 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 wall probably represents the remains of a building in the Roman legionary fortress, in this case, probably barrack blocks within the central range.

An extensive horizon of sandstone rubble (see CHER 8700) was identified in all three of the archaeological evaluation trenches, this rubble also is considered to derive from the Roman barrack blocks. 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.