Monument record 8391 - Roman Barracks Block (Latera praetorii west) at Hunter Street

<1> Anon, 1909, Miscellanea (Article in Journal). SCH5560.

Traces of a Roman building at the former Masonic Lodge on Hunter Street was first encountered in 1909 when the foundations of a poor quality east-west aligned wall adjacent to a narrow passage (CHER 8531) was recorded by Prof Newstead. (see also source 3)

<2> Newstead, Robert (Prof.), 1926, Records of Archaeological Finds at Chester, p61-79 (Article in Journal). SCH5955.

Further evidence of the building was then uncovered during more extensive excavations in 1914 by Prof Newstead. The structural remains of the building included long sections of the north and south exterior walls on an east-west alignment along with the interior spine wall dividing each pair of rooms and the veranda on the north face of the building. Several internal partition walls on a north-south alignment were also encountered enabling the identification of four pairs of rooms and leading the interpretation of the building as a barrack block of twelve pairs of rooms (contubernia).

Internal features included evidence of a tiled hearth in one of the larger, inner rooms (No 2 in Newstead’s report), an internal subdivision of one of the smaller, outer rooms creating a narrow passage (No 5) and a substantial mass of sandstone rubble faced with dressed stones some 1.5m x 1.2m in one of the smaller outer rooms (No 7).

<3> Strickland, T.J., 1983, Chester: Excavations in the Princess Street / Hunter Street Area, 1978-1982. A First Report on Discoveries of the Roman Period (Article in Journal). SCH5815.

<4> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, p152 (Book). SCH3556.

Evidence for the eastern end of the barrack building was encountered during further archaeological investigations between 1978 and 1982 as part of the Hunter Street/Princess Street excavations. The structural evidence for the barrack block comprised the eastern exterior wall and veranda.

<5> Lawson, P H, 1926, Schedule of the Roman Remains of Chester with Maps and Plans, No 9 (Article in Journal). SCH5956.

<6> Lloyd-Morgan G., 1978, Some small Roman Bronzes in the Grovsenor Museum, Chester (Article in Journal). SCH5917.

<7> Davies. J. T (Reverend)., 1921, Catalogue of the Roman Coins in the Chester Museum (Article in Journal). SCH5687.

<8> Oxford Archaeology North, 2019, Northgate Redevelopment, Phase 1, Chester: Archaeological Watching Brief Report (Client Report). SCH8971.

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken in 2019 during the excavation of several test-pits at the site of a proposed multi-use development, the Chester Northgate Redevelopment, Phase 1. Although services were found to have extensively truncated the archaeological remains, the remains of east-west aligned sandstone walls were identified in three test pits (Test-pit 3 and 5 located on Hunter Street and Test Pit 15 on Princess Street). The walls lay less than 0.3m below the ground level. They are thought to potentially relate to barrack-blocks within the Roman legionary fortress. See CHER 8696, 8697 and 8698 for further detail.

<9> Oxford Archaeology North, 2022, Chester Northgate Redevelopment: Phase 1 Post-Excavation Assessment Report, R4690 (Client Report). SCH9431.

Further monitoring undertaken as part of the Northgate redevelopment scheme in 2020-1 has recorded additional elements of the barrack, including the north-east corner of the barrack and other fragments of walling of the contbernia and the veranda. See CHER 8391/1 for further detail.