Grosvenor Park excavation sheds light on Chester's Roman history
Grosvenor Park's Roman past is being excavated this month by local archaeologists and Chester students.
It is hoped the dig will reveal new information about the Roman history of the park and a medieval and 16th-century building destroyed in the English Civil War.
Taking place at Grosvenor Park, the excavation will continue until Friday 23 May.
The excavation project began in 2007, with the aim of learning more about the area surrounding Chester's Roman amphitheatre and the Church of St John the Baptist.
It was founded in the Saxon period, re-built as a Norman cathedral and converted to a parish church in the 16th century.
Archaeologists want to discover how the position and ruins of the amphitheatre, as well as the influence of the church, impacted on the later use and development of the surrounding area.
Previous excavations discovered a Roman road running through the park and in the final two days of last year's dig, a large quantity of Roman pottery was found at the eastern end of the excavation trench.
One of the students' tasks this year is to investigate this part of the trench and find out whether there are any Roman remains that might indicate the purpose of the road and how this area of the park was used nearly 2000 years ago.
Last year's discoveries also included the remains of a medieval tiled floor, a wall, a collapsed slate roof and a complex system of drains made from slabs of stone at the western end of the trench.
Cllr Lisa Denson said: "Before this excavation project started little was known about the park's archaeological past.
"The discoveries of the Roman road, part of a large Saxon defensive ditch, as well as the remains of the medieval building and its boundary ditch - plus the largest assemblage of English Civil War equipment to be found in Chester, have changed ideas about the archaeological importance of this beautiful area of Chester."
A free open afternoon will be held on Tuesday 20 May, from 2pm to 4.30pm.
There will be site tours and this year's finds will be displayed, with no booking necessary.
Visitors are also welcome to view the excavation in progress Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
The excavations have inspired more collaborative work between West Cheshire Museums and the Archaeology team at the University.
Students have worked with museum staff to create exhibitions that include finds from the park.
The current exhibition 'Arty-ology' at the Grosvenor Museum is on display until 29 June.
It considers the way artistic reconstructions of Chester's archaeological remains can offer alternative perspectives on the past.
The annual excavation is run by West Cheshire Museums and is a partnership project between Cheshire West and Chester Council and archaeologists from the University of Chester.
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