Monument record 13014 - Medieval gullies/ditches, Hunter Street

<1> Oxford Archaeology North, 2022, Chester Northgate Redevelopment: Phase 1 Post-Excavation Assessment Report, R4690 (Client Report). SCH9431.

A series of four ditches/gullies (features 249, 289, 313, 324), found in close association, were recorded in 2020-1 during the excavation of a surface-water drainage trench, on the south side of Hunter Street, as part of the Northgate redevelopment scheme. The features were aligned approximately north to south and were exposed only in a very limited area, as they extended beyond the narrow confines of the trench in both directions. They produced later medieval pottery. One (324) was wider than the others, with an open, V-shaped profile and was substantial enough to have been a boundary. Feature 249 was also V-shaped (0.47m deep), though with steeper sides than 324, whilst 289 and 313 (0.5m and 0.65m deep respectively) were steep-sided with flat bases. In view of their narrow width and profiles, it is possible that these latter features were construction trenches for the walls of medieval timber structures. However, they were not obviously associated with any other structural remains, and there was no evidence for any wooden sill beams or uprights.