Monument record 719/2/1 - Condate - Western fort defences and buildings, Bowling Green/Garages Site

The main interventions relating to the fort straddling Chester Road are as follows:-
ECH6288: 1973, Dairy Dig (evidence of timber buildings)
ECH3011: 1974, Old Zion Chapel (reducing western ditch cutting earlier building)
ECH6289: 1978, Harrisons/Ryder Place (eastern fort defences and intervallum road, cut by round house)
ECH6290: 1980, North of Chester Road (courtyard building with central well, potential principia)
ECH2796: 1983, Bowling Green (western fort defences, moved twice, cutting interior fort buildings - barracks/stables/granary)
ECH6292: 1985, Garages (continuation of Bowling Green excavations) (further evidence for defences; courtyard building, potential praetorium) (Also report of watching brief 1986 which identified north-western corner of fort during house construction, Bowling Green)
ECH6291: 1989, Ryder Street (northern defences and buildings)
ECH3062: 1990, Pleasant Street (timber buildings, potential barracks)

<1> County Historic Environment Record, 1973-1985, Cheshire Archaeological Bulletin, Vol 9, p.82-85, Jones G D B & Reynolds P, 1983 (Journal/Periodical). SCH565.

Bowling Green Site 1983. Evidence originally suggested Roman fort on different axis from first fort (CHER 719/1/0; 719/1/2-3). Chronological relationship between the two forts not established, but the Bowling Green Site Fort is probably the latest. It probably had two phases - the second was reduced in size. West side of first phase fort represented by a 5m wide ditch with rampart and inter vallum road on the eastern side. In interior were barracks or stable buildings. Possibly two stages of development in this first phase. West side of second phase fort, which was reduced in size, lay c.24m east of west defences of first phase fort. Consisted of two ditches, 24m apart and one inner rampart 8m wide, based on decomposing sandstone. Substantial quantities of pottery found from features in first phase reduced fort. Military occupation lies in second century. (See also source 2)

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ67SE3 (Index). SCH2487.

See linked card.

<3> Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, 1970-Present, Britannia, Vol 15, 1984, 288-9, S.S. Frere (Journal/Periodical). SCH445.

Site of second fort (Bowling Green site) found lying west of and probably partly overlapping that previously known. Ditch 5m wide with rampart and via sagularis on east side. Two successive timber buildings located east of street, the first parallel with the defences, the second at right angles. Both phases of ditches cut by two later ditches, the fort having been reduced in size.

<4> Jones G D B, 1985, Condate 1985 - Northwich Excavation (Monograph). SCH965.

Further account of the excavations at the Bowling Green site in 1983. The first east-west trenches located the two ditches cutting earlier timber structures. An area excavation was then undertaken between trenches 1,4, and 6 to examine the area more fully, demonstrating that the buildings were aligned with the ditches, implying that the fort had been reduced in size. So a further east-west ditch was opened to the west; this recorded a 5m wide ditch, rampart and intervallum road circa 24m to the west of the other ditches. Remains of two phases of timber buildings were found immediately within the interior of the larger phase 1 fort, the first phase building was a structure with a potential verandah, potentially a barrack; the second phase buildings were circa 40m in length, aligned east-west, again possible barracks or stables. Substantial amounts of pottery were recovered, in particular from the ditches of the reduced fort. Samples for pollen analysis were also recovered.

<5> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, Vol 1, p.198-202, Petch D F, 1987 (Book). SCH3556.

Much of the literature on Roman Northwich still assumes that there were 2 forts here.

<6> Jones G D B, Nevell, M and Reynolds, P, 1987, Condate - Excavations at Castle, Northwich 1983-1986, Manchester Archaeological Bulletin, Vol 1, 1987, p.35-7 (Article in Journal). SCH8152.

In 1985, further trenching undertaken on the old garage site, to the east of the Bowling Green area, revealed a substantial courtyard building measuring approximately 35m north-west by 24.5m south-east. There was evidence of a corridor 2.5m wide along the south-east side. An open area excavation measuring 10m square on the Bowling Green site revealed an east-west aligned building at least 10m in length and probably a barrack block of the later phase; remains of earlier phase buildings, aligned north-south were also found. Additionally, a watching brief in 1985-6 during the construction of housing on the Bowling Green site, revealed the north-west corner of the fort, indicating that the courtyard building was the 'praetorium' and that the 'principia', also the western gateway, lay under Chester Road. Three phases of occupation were identified. The relationship between the Flavian fort and this later military site remain unresolved.

<7> Jones G D B, 1992, Condate - Roman Northwich: The Last Hurrah (Unpublished Document). SCH3820.

Notes on excavations on Castle Hill, Northwich, produced for a lecture at Cheshire Archaeology Day 1992. Discusses the excavations south of Waterloo Road in the late 1960s and those at Cliff Villa of a two phase rampart in 1970 leading to the interpretation this area of Castle being the site of a fort. Then discusses the later excavations in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990 which led to identification of a fort straddling Chester Road, which was reduced in size probably some time around 100 AD. The demolition of the fort, on the evidence of samian pottery, appears to pre-date the foundation of the Antonine Wall (circa 142 AD). Civilian settlement then spread over the area of the fort seemingly in the form of strip buildings running back from the line of the Roman road; this settlement does not appear to have extended far into the third century. The find of a kiln in Waterloo Road, together with the considerable quantity of dumped first/second century AD pottery found at Weaver Street, could indicate that Northwich was a major pottery production centre and that this area of Castle, thought originally to be a fort, instead could be regarded as an organised, military annex, close to the fort.

<8> Curzon J.B, 2000, Condate Castellum - The Rediscovery of the Roman Site on Castle Hill in Northwich, p.21 (Book). SCH8153.

Discusses theory that the alleged fort centred around Waterloo Road (CHER 719/1/2-3) was abandoned in favour of a larger fort north of Chester Road (the Bowling Green site), potentially to provide accommodation for a bigger garrison, possibly a cavalry unit which required more space.

<9> Cheshire County Council, 2002, Cheshire Historic Towns Survey: Vale Royal Borough Part 1: Archaeological Assessments, Northwich, 2003 Mike Shaw & Jo Clark, p.4 (Report). SCH4760.

The important strategic position of Northwich, together perhaps with the presence of brine springs, led to the establishment of an auxiliary fort on the west bank of the River Weaver in the area now known as Castle, elements of which were excavated from 1983 onwards. Two periods of military occupation were identified: the first began around AD 70 and the second finished around AD 140 and there was apparently a gap between the two phases. During the second phase the fort was reduced in size. Excavations in the interior discovered the remains of barrack blocks and a major courtyard building interpreted as a praetorium (commandant’s house). A further rampart and ditch was discovered to the north-east of the auxiliary fort in 1970, which led to the interpretation of this area as also being an auxiliary fort and much of the literature on Roman Northwich still assumes that there were two forts at Northwich (Petch 1987, Source 5). However, both would appear to be of a similar date, and reassessment (Jones 1992, source 7, and pers comm) has suggested that the rampart found in 1970 belonged to a military annexe of the main fort, rather than forming a separate fort.

<10> University of Salford (Centre for Applied Archaeology), 2016, Rediscovering Roman Northwich. Phase 1: Assessment of the Archaeological Archive, p.11 (Report). SCH8149.

Bowling Green Site - Four week excavation by University of Manchester under G.D.B Jones, University of Manchester, in July/August 1983 on the site of the Bowling Green, north of Chester Road and now occupied by the western half of Castle Court; at the time of excavation, the site formed the last major area of open land on the Castle. Ten trenches were excavated: Trenches 1 to 6 were evaluation trenches dug in July, followed in August by trenches 7 to 10 which were open area excavations, also two evaluation trenches (9 and 10), designed to locate the western defences. Two parallel ditches were encountered running the entire length of the site and the open area excavations found evidence of timber buildings lying between the two ditches and cut by them.
Garages Site - Five trenches were excavated in March 1985 in an area to the east of the Bowling Green site, between Chester Road and eastern end of Castle Court; the trench numbering runs from that of the 1983 Bowling green excavations, hence trenches 11 to 15. Trenches 11 and 12 lie within the area known as ‘the garages’. Trenches 13 and 14 straddled the boundary between the Garages and the Bowling Green and were designed to stratigraphically link the archaeology of the two areas. Trench 15 was an open area linking Area 9 and Trench 4, excavated in 1983. More foundations for the linear buildings seen in 1983 were found in trench 15. The other trenches located foundation trenches interpreted as an earlier granary structure and a later courtyard building.
From 1967 until 1980 it was assumed that a Flavian fort sat south‐east of Chester Road on top of Castle hill. The discovery of fort defences in 1983 (Bowling Green) north of Chester Road led to modification of this theory, introducing the idea of two separate forts on different, possibly overlapping, alignments (Petch, 1987, source 5). Further work in 1989‐90 again modified this suggestion with Prof G.D.B. Jones arguing in 1992 that there was a single fort site, straddling Chester Road; the site of the ‘earlier’ fort defences to the east discovered in 1967‐70 he re‐interpreted as an annex (Jones 1992, source 7). This re‐interpretation demonstrates the value of continuing post excavation work on the Northwich archive to allow a clearer understanding of the nature of the Roman activity in this area.