Monument record 8704 - Excavated Roman Sandstone and Soil Deposits, Hunter Street/Princess Street

<1> Oxford Archaeology North, 2020, Northgate Redevelopment, Phase 1, ‘Grassy Knoll’ and Bus Station, Chester: Archaeological Evaluation and Watching Brief Report, R4491 (Client Report). SCH8977.

In 2019, archaeological evaluation of trenches located on the 'Grassy Knoll', undertaken as part of the Northgate re-development, identified a grey-brown soil layer containing varying quantities of stone rubble; it is thought to be late Roman or early post Roman in date and marks the top of the archaeological plane. In places, principally where exposed in the sides of modern intrusions, the soil was seen to overlie deposits of sandstone rubble, which almost certainly derived from the demolition/decay of buildings in the Roman legionary fortress, in this case probably barrack blocks within the central range. These deposits were recorded in four trenches (trenches D, E, F and H), in the western extent of the Grassy Knoll site, in between Hunter Street and Princess Street.

Trench D measured 3.6 x 2.5m and was excavated to a maximum depth of 2.02m below the modern surface. The deposit of sandstone rubble was observed in a narrow sondage at the base of the trench (top at 25.43m above Ordnance Datum Aod). This was overlain by a mid-grey-brown soil (top at c 25.88m Aod), containing small amounts of sandstone rubble but no artefacts.

Trench E was divided into three separate interventions. In each, a mid grey- brown, sandy-clayey silt containing sandstone rubble was identified between 23.86m Aod and 24.40m Aod.

Trench F measured 4.7 x 4.2m and was excavated to a depth of 1.85m. The Roman demolition deposit of sandstone rubble, recorded at the base of the trench, was overlain by a grey-brown clay loam (c 25.47m Aod).

In all three trenches (D, E and F), the archaeological plane was overlain by layers of darker soil containing little or no rubble, which, on artefactual and stratigraphic evidence, appear to have accumulated during the medieval and post-medieval periods. (recorded separately - see CHER 13008).

Trench H measured 16 x 4m and was excavated to a depth of 2.16m. Both the grey-brown soil overlying the rubble were recorded in section only. A 0.5m-thick layer of sandstone rubble was identified at a height of 24.05m Aod, from which two sherds of samian ware were recovered. Below this, at 23.55m Aod, was a layer of orange-brown silty sand. This yielded three fragments of Roman pottery and is interpreted as an early Roman relict soil (recorded separately - see CHER 8703).