Monument record 8461 - Roman Building at Bridge Street

Archaeological investigations for a new cellar at Brown’s of Chester (now Debenhams) in 1960 recorded evidence of at least two phases of Roman activity indicating a well appointed stone building with at least one heated room. (2)

The excavated area was L shaped and lay to the rear of the Eastgate Street frontage (approximately 36.6m south) and extended a further 14.3m south. The western extension of the area continued west for 3.6m towards the adjacent property (then the premises of Butt & Co. Ltd, jewellers).

The earliest phase of activity on the site was represented by a black trample of natural red sand subsequently succeeded by a stone structure of at least two phases of construction.

The primary phase appeared to be Trajanic (97-117 AD) and consisted of a series of rooms indicated by three parallel walls on an east-west alignment. The southern-most wall discovered noted evidence of box tiles from a flue to the south, suggesting a possible hypocaust and wall plaster and traces of an opus signinum floor on its north face. The second east-west aligned wall was recorded approximately 3.6m to the north of the first while traces of a third possible wall was noted a further 3.9m to the north.

In the secondary phase of occupation the hypocaust appeared to have been removed and the southern-most wall remodelled to follow a slightly different alignment with traces of a continuation of the wall to the west with a north-south aligned return wall at the western extent of the excavated area. (1)

The position of the building suggests the walls may belong to a tribune's house. Finds: ten coins, three brooches, glass vessel fragments, beads and much pottery, both samian and coarse ware (1) & (2).

<1> Thompson F.H, 1967, Notes on Two Chester Building Sites, 1960, p48 (Article in Journal). SCH5886.

<2> Thompson F.H, 1961, Notes on Excavations and finds in Cheshire during 1960, p21-2 (Article in Journal). SCH5999.

<3> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, p148 (Book). SCH3556.