Monument record 9054 - Church of St Michael the Archangel, Saxon Period

The Church of St Michael was erected on the outer east side of the massive foundations of the southern gate of the former Roman fortress (at the corner of Bridge St. and Pepper St.) (1). There are no clear cultural associations by which to date the construction of the church, however, its physical relationship with St Bridget’s Church on the other side of the gate, and the fact that it was already in existence by 1178 – 1182 imply that it may have been built at the end of the Saxon period, just before the Norman conquest. Like St Bridget’s, it is thought to have been dedicated at any time during the tenth or eleventh centuries (2). The northern limit of the parish of St Michael’s was marked by a passage along the north side of the former Roman baths building and the western limit by Bridge St., and it may have suffered some contraction of its southern boundaries in favour of the parish of St Olave’s (2). With respect to its possible Saxon origins, it is interesting to note that the medieval parish boundary includes an irregular western extension, to the west of Lower Bridge St., roughly half way between Grosvenor St. and Castle St.; relatively recent excavations in this area have established the presence of several Grubenhausen (CHER 9009) and evidence of Saxon industrial activities (e.g. CHER 9007, CHER 9011). If its construction dates to late in the Saxon period, it survived throughout the medieval and continues to be used as the city’s heritage centre. Note that a recent summary of Saxon Chester (3) did not include this church as a pre-Norman feature of the city.

<1> Richards R, 1947, Old Cheshire Churches, Richards R 1972 /117-120 (Book). SCH2309.

<2> Alldridge N.J, 1981, Aspects of the topography of early medieval Chester, Alldridge N J 1981 64/5-31 (Article in Journal). SCH5931.

<3> Mason, D. J. P., 2007, Chester AD 400-1066: From Roman Fortress to English Town (Book). SCH6530.