Monument record 8337 - Roman rampart building (No 17) at Newgate Street

Archaeological investigations carried out on the site of Newgate House, Newgate Street in 1955 recorded substantial evidence of Roman activity including evidence of the Agricolan rampart (CHER 8209/3), an interval tower (CHER 8229), a rampart building (CHER 8337), two successive legionary ovens (CHER 8338) and a section of the intervallum road (CHER 8280/7).

The excavations recorded a rampart building of an early Trajanic date inserted into the rampart. The rear wall was traced for a distance of 12.19m while additional evidence of an internal wall and a cement floor was also noted. The foundations itself comprise closely packed sandstone rubble topped with a clay layer. Two footing courses formed the base of the wall which itself survived to a height of 0.90m. The associated pottery evidence suggests this building was in use for a limited period only however and it was deliberately demolished at the end of the second century. (1)

<1> Thompson, F H and F W Tobias, 1957, Excavations in Newgate Street, Chester 1955 (Article in Journal). SCH5745.

<2> Lloyd-Morgan G., 1978, Some small Roman Bronzes in the Grovsenor Museum, Chester (Article in Journal). SCH5917.

<3> LeQuesne C, 1999, Excavations at Chester: The Roman and Later Defences Part I (Monograph). SCH6156.

<4> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, p122,127&128 (Book). SCH3556.

<5> Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, 1911-Present, Journal of Roman Studies, Vol 46 p125 (Journal/Periodical). SCH1519.