Gorse Stacks, Bus Interchange Excavations Interim Note-01

Transcription

1 Gorse Stacks, Bus Interchange Excavations 2015 Prepared for: Cheshire West & Chester Council Interim Note-01 1 Introduction & Summary Background Since c investigations associated with redevelopment in the Gorse Stacks area have certainly shed light on the archaeology of this hitherto largely unexplored location. On the west side, towards Delamere Street, there appears to have been a long tradition of quarrying for sandstone, an activity which commenced in the Roman period; there are also indications that clay was extracted during the Roman period, probably for many uses. There are also traces of the civil settlement closer to the fortress walls, with traces of roads, timber buildings and stone structures, and potentially earlier ditches. The extent of the Roman activity is again unclear, but the line of St. Oswald s dual-carriageway may mark the line of its extent, and Roman occupation within the natural depression (the area of the main body of the former Gorse Stacks car park), identified on the east side of the application site, seems unlikely. The recent Roman cemetery discovered beneath George Street school, immediately west of the Bus Interchange site, was unexpected. Its full extent was not exposed and there is anticipation that associated inhumation burials may come to light during the current investigations; but at the time of writing no burials have been exposed. On the same site, the large quantities of waste ceramic tile and brick indicate the presence of a nearby production centre that may have started life as early as the 15 th century, but again, as yet, no features associated with medieval tile/brick production have been identified. Gorse hence the name used as a fuel, was seemingly stored hereabouts in the medieval period, and a horse market was held on the Gorse Stacks in the late 16 th century. The early map evidence shows buildings dotted about the area of Gorse Stacks from as early as the 17 th century, and during the English Civil War the precise line of outworks constructed to protect the city during a siege in the 1640s is somewhat vague, but their line may lie close to the site. Test trenches excavated in 2002 identified dumped deposits rich in 17 th -century material, and the current work under way has re-exposed these rich contexts (see below). In the mid-19 th century a Cattle Market was established on the site and, to the north of George Street, terraced housing had been constructed by Major changes in the 1960s and 70s, largely associated with the construction of the new Inner Ring Road bypass saw the demolition of the Cattle Market and much of the terraced housing. The current redevelopment will see yet another major change in the townscape of this area of Chester. 2 The Excavations & Initial Watching Brief Prior to the commencement of the main building programme by Graham Construction Ltd. archaeological excavations are in progress in two main areas: Area 1 along the western edge of the development to coincide with the area of deepest ground disturbance and Area 2 in the location of a new attenuation tank, centrally-placed where the main Gorse Stacks car park used to operate. Archaeological monitoring of new service trenches along George Street and Gorse Stacks has also been taking place since late September and, although riddled with previous service trench cuts, glimpses of interesting archaeology have been seen amongst the later disturbances. The following photographs, with captions, are representative of the archaeology exposed up to the end of November Summary: Archaeological Excavations - 1 -

2 2.1 Watching Brief: photographs with captions Plate 1: End of September/early October and the start of service trench excavation on the east side of Gorse Stacks. Across this location all trenches opened were along the lines of previous service trench cuts and no archaeology was noted. Plate 2: This trench represents the typical widespread disturbance associated with previous service trench excavations on the east side of the Gorse Stacks development. Summary: Archaeological Excavations - 2 -

3 Plate 3: Again a multitude of confusing services exposed close to the junction of Gorse Stacks and Frodsham Street. Plate 4: Long open stretch along Gorse Stack, with late postmedieval features surviving either side of existing services. Summary: Archaeological Excavations - 3 -

4 Plate 5: Detail following cleaning of the features visible on Plate 4. Possibly part of a post-medieval cobbled alleyway with perhaps structures either side, rather than kerbing...but hard to say in isolation. Plate 6: Large service pipe in George St. trench, with probable Roman surface metalling, close to natural clay, on its south side. Summary: Archaeological Excavations - 4 -

5 2.2 Excavations: Area 1 photographs Plate 7: Opening up the L-shaped trench to coincide with the main ground disturbance associated with the redevelopment. Plate 8: Excavating slots across probable Roman clay pits at the north end of Area 1. Summary: Archaeological Excavations - 5 -

6 Plate 9: Impressive assemblage of Roman finds recovered from the pits. Plate 10: Linear features representing traces of Roman timber buildings - a phase of activity earlier than the clay-pit digging - have been recorded. Summary: Archaeological Excavations - 6 -

7 Plate 11: Part of a Roman trackway, aligned essentially north-south. Further investigation demonstrated that a later Roman drain had been cut through the track metalling (see below). Plate 12: A Roman drain, with sandstone lining still partially intact, was cut through the earlier trackway, perhaps during the 3 rd century AD. Summary: Archaeological Excavations - 7 -

8 2.3 Excavations: Area 2 photographs Plate 13: Sample excavation in the area of the new attenuation tank. Although the made-ground deposits do not look too exciting, at the reduced level within the trench, they are producing fine assemblages of 17 th -century pottery. Plate 14: Impressive assemblage of 17 th -century finds recovered from Area 2. Summary: Archaeological Excavations - 8 -

9 Plate 15: Part of mottled ware vessel with letters applied as a slip: these could represent the owner of a piece commissioned to commemorate an event. A similar fragment, perhaps from the same vessel, has just been found. L J Dodd BSc PGDip MCIfA & D W Garner MA MSc BEng ACIfA (pending) E1269 Interim Note-01 Summary: Archaeological Excavations - 9 -