Council archaeologists have once again been working with students to uncover the history of a Chester landmark.
The Historic Environment Team have been working in Grosvenor Park with second year students from the University of Chester as part of their annual training dig.
Over the years there have been few digs in the park. This was partly due to it being on the outskirts of the city and it was thought that there could be nothing there of importance. This recent work has proved, however, that the park has a very interesting past.
During the excavation evidence for Roman, medieval and later history, including a medieval ditch, a medieval building and a Roman road that once led to the east entrance of the amphitheatre was uncovered. The team also found traces of a timber-framed building, part of Sir Hugh Cholmondeley’s mansion, which was destroyed during the Civil War siege of 1645. This mansion incorporated the impressive stone walls of a medieval building that was once part of the precinct of the Church of St John the Baptist.
Said Cheryl Quinn, Senior Archaeologist for Cheshire West and Chester “Besides the digging, the students had a full programme of work, learning how to record the site, clean and identify the finds as well as engaging with the public. They might have found it very daunting at the start, but they ended up enjoying it tremendously”.
If you would like to find out what the students thought of training to become archaeologists of the future then visit their Dig Blog