This year's excavation is now underway at Grosvenor Park, where archaeologists hope to uncover fresh clues about Chester's Roman and medieval past.

Run by West Cheshire Museums, the dig is giving students from the University of Chester hands-on archaeological training, supported by professional archaeologists.

Taking place until Friday 22 May, one of the key aims of this year's work is to investigate whether evidence can be found of buildings suggesting Roman-era settlement within the park.

A free open afternoon will be held on Tuesday 19 May from 2pm to 4.30pm, with site tours and a display of finds. The excavation can also be viewed in progress on weekdays, with students available to answer questions.

Last year's excavation uncovered Roman ditches and pits containing a large quantity of pottery believed to have been discarded in the late Roman period.

Finds included amphorae - large storage jars imported from the Mediterranean - and pottery from Roman Eastern Gaul (modern-day Germany), along with an unusual fragment of a Roman ceramic candlestick.

"Some remarkable finds have been made in previous years," said Dr Hannah Ewence, Head of Humanities, Cultures and Environment at the University of Chester.

"We're excited to see what this year's dig reveals about our city's past, and share more on the discoveries with the public."

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Previous seasons have also revealed a Roman road running towards the city's amphitheatre.

More recently, archaeologists uncovered a large square stone hearth or oven base within a medieval building, lying beneath the remains of a later 16th-century structure at the western end of the trench.

That later building is believed to have been acquired by Sir Hugh Cholmondeley in the late 1500s and converted into a Chester residence. It was destroyed during the English Civil War, when Parliamentarian forces besieging the city were stationed nearby.

This year, work will also focus on whether a medieval ditch discovered in 2024 connects with another identified in 2021, while researchers continue to examine what may be a larger Saxon boundary ditch running through the site.

Since 2007, the project has explored the area around Chester's Roman amphitheatre and the nearby Church of St John the Baptist, examining how these major landmarks influenced the development of the surrounding city.