Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan Sept 2001 Vol I

8/13/2019 Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan Sept 2001 Vol I

1/160


2/160

Chester Amphitheatre Conservation PlanPart I

prepared for

English Heritage

by

Donald Insall Associates Ltd

in association with

Mason Welland

and

The Architectural History Practice

Donald Insall Associates LtdChartered Architects andHistoric Building ConsultantsOld Bank Buildings

Foregate StreetChesterCH1 1JTTel: 01244 350063

Fax: 01244 350064Email: [email protected]

Mason WellandOchr CottagePorch Lane

Hope MountainCaergwrleFlintshireLL12 9HGTel: 01978 760834

Email: [email protected]

The Architectural History PracticePhillimore CottageThorncombe Street

Nr BramleyGuildfordSurreyGU5 0LUTel: 01483 208633

Email: [email protected]


3/160

Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan i Donald Insall Associates

September 2001

CHESTER AMPHITHEATRE CONSERVATION PLAN

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART I (for adoption)

1 BACKGROUND TO PLAN

Introduction

The Site

Historical BackgroundPurposes of plan

Methodology and Structure

Parties to the Plan/2 UNDERSTANDING

2.1 Overview2.2 Chronology Summary of Core and Secondary Area

2.3 Previous Research and Studies

2.4 Geology / Geomorphology

2.5 An Outline History of Study Site (Core and Secondary Area)

2.7 Area Analysis: Method of Study

2.8 Area Analysis: Plans

2.9 Area Analysis: Zone Descriptions

Zone A The Amphitheatre

Zone B Little St John Street/Vicars lane Corridor

Zone C Dee House

Zone E The New Magistrates Court

Zone F The Roman Gardens

Zone G The Old Bishops Palace and St Johns Cottage

Zone H The Groves

Zone I St John The Baptist Church/Anchorite Cell

2.10 Current Planning Policies (core and secondary area)

2.11 Core Area Detailed Study: Archaeology (below ground and excavated)

2.12 Core Area Detailed Study: Dee House

2.13 Core Area Detailed Study: Interpretation and Visitor Facilities

2.14 Core Area Detailed Study: Recent Planning History of the Core Area

2.15 Core Area Detailed Study: Amenity Groups Associated with the Core Area

2.16 Core Area Detailed Study: Use of the Amphitheatre as for Events

2.17 Core Area Detailed Study: Ecology


4/160

Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan ii Donald Insall Associates

September 2001

3 SIGNIFICANCE

3.1 Methodology

3.2 Overview of the Study Area (core and secondary)

3.3 Detailed Significance of the Core Area:Archaeology

3.4 Detailed Significance of the Core Area: Dee House

4 ISSUES

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Overview of Key Issues within the Study Site (by zone)

4.3 The Core Area Detailed Issues

4.4 Future Options for the Core Area

A The demolition of Dee House and the fullest possible excavation of the

amphitheatre

B The retention of Dee House and environs (no excavations within its current

curtilage)

C The further excavation of the amphitheatre within the curtilage of Dee House (but

not to the extent of requiring demolition of the building or compromising future

use)

D The full excavation of the amphitheatre

4.5 Listed Building Consent Issues

5 POLICIES

5.1 Overview

5.2 Key Policy objectives

5.3 Policies

APPENDICES

A Gazetteer

B Bibliography

C Ecology Study

PART II (not for adoption)

A Study of Future Options and a Draft Strategy

(separate volume)


5/160

Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan Donald Insall Associates

September 2001

CHESTER AMPHITHEATRE CONSERVATION PLAN

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Introduction

This conservation plan for Chester Amphitheatre and the surrounding environment was

commissioned by English Heritage with the support of Chester City Council in March 2001.

Donald Insall Associates, the lead consultants, have been assisted by the Architectural History

Practice and the archaeologists, Mason Welland.

The study area is located to the south east of Chester City Centre. It focuses on a core area

which includes the Roman amphitheatre, a corner tower of the Roman fortress, the Roman

Gardens and the Grade II Listed Dee House. This is set in the context of a secondary zone

which extends to the River Dee to the south and includes the Church of St John the Baptist to

the east.

In common with the generally accepted approach the conservation plan provides an

understanding of the site and its history and explains its significance and how this may be

venerable. It has been specifically commissioned at this time to help English Heritage and the

City Council take a strategic view of the study area. The plan proposes policies, which will

assist in making key decisions about the future of Dee House and the further excavation and

display of the amphitheatre.

The study documents are presented in two parts. Part I, the formal conservation plan, is

intended for adoption by the commissioning parties. This comprises the standard sections on

Understanding, Significance, Issues, Policies and a Gazetteer. Part II is an informal

document, which presents a study of various future options for the core area, and this analysis

leads to a recommended management strategy.

Part I (for adoption by the main parties to the Conservation Plan)

Understanding and Significance

Chester was one of the thee permanent legionary bases in Roman Britain and the study area

contains three monument groups of international significance. These are the legionary

amphitheatre, which has been partially excavated, the southeast angle tower of the legionary

fortress and the collection of Roman masonry artefacts from excavations in Chester

assembled in the Roman Garden.

In the Dark Ages Chester continued to be an important regional centre. An early Christian

foundation was established during the seventh century, which later became the church of St

John The Baptist. The area surrounding the church and the amphitheatre and are considered to

be potentially national significantin terms of their sub Roman and Saxon archaeology.

The present St John the Baptist, commenced in the 11thcentury, was initially intended as a

cathedral and still retains its magnificent Norman nave from that period. Although it was not

long a Bishops seat it continued to be developed as an important collegiate church

throughout the medieval period. The existing building and associated monuments are of

national significance.

Apart from the church complex there appears to have been only limited building within the

study area up until the beginning of the 18thcentury and even after that new development was

to a low density. The early 18th century Dee House, which in the 19

th century became a


6/160


September 2001

convent school, is of regional significance. This and other residences are examples of

spacious properties built by the wealthy and influential on the edge of the expanding Georgian

town. Set in verdant grounds, these buildings together with the riverside promenade, the

narrow medieval lanes, church, and Roman remains all combine to create an area of very

considerable townscape value. Collectively they represent 2000 years of history. Such a site

in Britain is of considerable rarity.

Issues

The central questions within the core area relate to the future of Dee House and the further

excavation of the amphitheatre. The amphitheatre was been partly excavated in the 1960s and

there is a considerable public support for the amphitheatre to be fully excavated and displayed

as a tourist attraction. Indeed there would be much to be learned and such a project would

enable visitors to appreciate the full extent of the site. However, this approach would also

involve disadvantages and considerable difficulties. Full excavation would involve the loss of

the Grade II Listed Dee House and its contribution to the history and townscape of Chester.

Whether important evidence from the sub Roman and Saxon periods exists is not known but

appears very possible. The proposal to expose and display the full Roman Amphitheatrewould entail the excavation and removal of material within which must lie evidence of the

following 1600 years of history. Furthermore, the unexcavated sixty percent of the

amphitheatre is located under both Dee House and its grounds and the site of the recently

constructed County Court. The costs of the acquisition of the new Courts a together with a

full multi period archaeological excavation and display would approach 20m.

Irrespective of the arguments as to whether or not to expose the entire amphitheatre, parts of

the study area are in need of investment to improve their appearance and help fulfil their

potential to contribute to Chesters tourist economy. The currently exposed section of the

amphitheatre is poorly displayed but could be considerably improved as a visitor attraction

and also for use as an events venue. The level of traffic using Little St John Street discourages

pedestrian movement and needs to be downgraded so that the area can be better integrated

with the city centre. The Dee House site is vacant and in a derelict state. The buildings have

been made weather proof and structurally stable and, although still threatened by dry rot, are

not beyond rescue. It is certainly important for Chester that the Dee House site is brought

back into use and preferably one which helps support the cultural and tourism role of the area.

The Issues section of the conservation plan is concluded with an examination of various

future planning and management options for the site.

Policies

The conservation plan policies have been designed to meet the following objectives and arestructured under these headings:

Heritage Assets: To ensure that future planning and management strategies and

proposals for the site are based on a thorough understanding of the sites most importantheritage and townscape assets.

Understanding, Archaeology and Recording: To learn from the site and gain further

knowledge of those periods and cultures about which it contains evidence.

Conservation and Development:To protect and conserve those material assets which are of

historic significance for this and future generations and ensure that their value is not

diminished by unsympathetic alteration or new development.

Interpretation and Access: To present the historic assets of the site so that they can bepopularly enjoyed, appreciated and understood.

Townscape: To preserve and enhance the special townscape and landscape character and

ecology of the site so that these features continue to contribute to the quality of the urban


7/160


September 2001

scene both in the interests of public amenity and to support Chesters visitor and tourist

economy.

Use: To ensure that existing and future uses within the study area contribute to the economic

and cultural life of the city in ways which do not conflict with but make best use of its historic

fabric, historic associations and townscape assets.

Statutory Considerations: To be mindful of and support existing legislation, national

planning policy guidance and local planning policy.

Resources: To support the understanding, interpretation and conservation of the study site

though the sustainable and efficient use of the financial resources of the site owners, grant aid

and any finance for those purposes that could be generated through planning agreements,

disposals or income generating uses.

Management and Ownership:To ensure that the site is managed in the most appropriate

manner to realise the objectives and policies of the conservation plan.

Vehicular Movement and Parking: To manage vehicular traffic circulation, access and

parking so that they facilitate adequate servicing for the area but do not unnecessarily detract

from its appearance or role in providing a setting for visitor and cultural attractions.

Competing values and Priorities:To take account of current expectations for the site and to

balance these against the principle that each generation has a general obligation to protect andto pass on to future generations that which is of cultural significance from its own and past

ages.

Policies for the site are not designed to justify or support one preferred proposal. Rather, they

are intended as a guide for future management strategies and provide a benchmark against

which future development proposals can be tested.


8/160

Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan 1 Donald Insall Associates

September 2001

PART I

1 BACKGROUND TO PLAN

1.1 Introduction

This conservation plan for Chester Amphitheatre and the surrounding environment

was commissioned by English Heritage with the support of Chester City Council in

March 2001. Donald Insall Associates, the lead consultants, have been assisted by the

Architectural History Practice and the archaeologists, Masson Welland.

In common with the generally accepted approach the conservation plan provides an

understanding of the site and its history, explains its significance and how this may be

venerable. It has been specifically commissioned at this time to help English Heritage

and the City council take a strategic view of the study area. The plan proposes

policies which will assist in making key decisions about the future of Dee House and

the further excavation and display of the amphitheatre.

The study documents are presented in two parts. Part I, the formal conservation plan,

is intended for adoption by the commissioning parties. This comprises the standard

sections on Understanding, Significance, Issues, Policies and a Gazetteer. Part II is

an informal document, which presents a study of various future options for the core

area and this analysis leads to a recommended management strategy.

1.2 The Site

Location of the Study Site (indicated in Grey)

The study area is located to the south east of Chester City Centre. It focuses on a core

area, which includes the Roman amphitheatre, a corner tower of the Roman fortress,the Roman Gardens and the Grade II Listed Dee House. This is set in the context of


9/160


September 2001

a secondary zone which extends to the River Dee to the south and includes the

Church of St John the Baptist to the east.

The Study Area 2001

1 : Amphitheatre 11: The Roman south east angle tower

2 :Dee House 12:Old Orleans public house

3 :Dee House Ancillary Buildings 13:Shop/Information centre4 :New County Court 14:Public Conveniences5 :The Old Bishops Palace 15:Roman Gardens

6 :St Johns Cottage 16:The Groves

7 :The Hermitage 17:Bowling Green8 :Church of St John the Baptist 18:Former Churchyard St John the Baptist

9 :The City Walls 19:Former Churchyard St John the Baptist10: The Newgate and Wolf gate

1.3 Historical Background

The known history of the study area begins with the establishment of the Roman

Legionary fortress at Chester, Deva Victrix,in the first century A.D. The study arealay within the extramural settlement beyond the southeast angle-tower of the

legionary defences. Here the legionary amphitheatre was constructed soon after the

fortress was built around AD 75. The amphitheatre evolved through a number of

phases and remained in use until the middle of the 4th

century. The foundations of the

South East Angle Tower and just less that half of the amphitheatre have been

excavated and are now displayed as monuments. Although, non have yet been

identified other Roman remains may be present within the study area.

The use and occupation of the study area during the dark Ages is little understood but

it is known that an early seventh century Christian foundation was established

immediately to the east of the amphitheatre (and may have made use of its remains).

The old Roman defences where extended at some point prior to the NormanConquest. These defences lay the foundations for the City Walls, which form the

western boundary of the study site today.


10/160


September 2001

In 1075 Bishop Peter of Lichfield moved his See to Chester and began the

construction of the Church of St John the Baptist which now stands to the east of the

amphitheatre. The present building still contains the impressive Norman nave from

that period. The church continued to be developed and used as a collegiate

establishment throughout the middle ages until at the Dissolution of the Monasteries

in the sixteenth century it was reduced in size but remained as a parish church. A plan

of 1610 shows that the area remained dominated by the church and churchyard into

the 17thcentury with only few buildings having been constructed on the periphery of

the amphitheatre. Little St John Street and Souters Lane leading to the Dee are clearly

shown on the plan and are certainly medieval and may be older in origin. It is obvious

that at that time the shape of amphitheatre was and indeed still is reflected in the

street network.

During the 18thCentury a small number of large houses were built within the study

area on the edge of the expanding town. Of these the Old Bishops Palace, St Johns

cottage and Dee House still exist. Also during that period the Groves were first laid

out as a recreational walk for the gentry and their ladies by the River.

Dee House and its grounds were constructed over the site of the amphitheatre in the

early part of the 18th century. Built by a one-time mayor of the City the house

became, in the middle of the 19thcentury, a catholic convent school. At that time a

chapel wing was added to a design by Edmund Kirby a notable Liverpool architect.

Further additions were made throughout the nineteenth and into the twentieth century.

It ceased to be a school in the early 1970s.

The Roman amphitheatre was rediscover in 1929 and then began a long campaign for

its protection and investigation. Excavation of the currently exposed portion began in

1965 and the monument opened to the public in 1972. The Roman Gardens, adjacent

to the City walls, were created in 1949 to accommodate the large number of Romanmasonry artefacts that had been uncovered during previous excavations and building

projects within Chester. The gardens have recently been extended to provide a

pedestrian walkway to the Groves. The latest development within the study was in

2001 with the construction of the County Court building located at the rear of Dee

House. This site covers the southern third of the amphitheatre and the Court building

has been designed with special foundation to protect the amphitheatre below. The

implementation of the project gave renewed impetus to public calls for the protection

and eventual full excavation of the Roman remains.

1.4 Purposes of the plan

In common with other conservation plans the purpose of this study is to provide an

understanding of the site and its history, to explain its significance and how this is

vulnerable now or may become so in the future. The plan proposes policies to manage

the significant aspects of the site as a whole and its principle elements. It provides

within a single document a comprehensive background of understanding and policies,

which will:

Help in the preparation of long-term management plans for the site as a whole. Assist in making short-term action plans and day to day decisions. Provide a clear set of guiding principles against which any new development

proposals or new ways of using the site and its building can be tested and

evaluated. Inform and contribute to proposals to reveal and assist in the appreciation of the

significance of the site.


11/160


September 2001

Assist in the preparation of initiatives for interpretation and education. Contribute to design and planning briefs for alterations to the existing fabric and

possible new development.

Inform strategies and plans to improve accessibility to the site and enhance itspotential to contribute to the life of the community and the local economy.

Certain particular circumstances and concerns have led to the requirement for the plan

at this time. This Conservation Plan has been commissioned in order to enable

English Heritage and its partners in Chester to take a strategic view of the

amphitheatre and the surrounding environment within the context of the

internationally important City of Chester. The Plan will assist in making key

decisions about the desirability of further archaeological investigations and

excavations and the future of Dee House. In particular, English Heritage require this

Conservation Plan to assist in addressing a range of site specific issues:

Whether the site in guardianship can be better presented and interpreted forvisitors

Whether it could be used for other activities complementary to that of heritageinterpretation without detrimental affect to its significance, for example as anopen-air theatre.

Whether the unexcavated section has potential for enhancing understanding of:(i) The Chester amphitheatre as a whole(ii) Roman amphitheatres generally(iii) Post Roman occupation of the site with particular regard to the post Roman

urbanisation of Chester.

Whether in the light of the above it would be desirable to undertake furtherexcavation of the site in part or in whole.

The Plan is also called upon to consider the relative merits of undertaking further

excavations, which might compromise or remove the Grade II Listed Dee House,compared with the merits of securing the future and significance of that building. The

consultants have been required to examine various scenarios ranging from the

complete excavations of the amphitheatre and the removal of Dee House to its

retention with no further excavation.

1.5 Methodology and Structure

The key steps in the Conservation Plan process are:

Understandingthe site.

Determining the significanceof the site and its individual components in terms ofcultural, historical, ecological or other special interest.

Identifying issues and threatsthat could impact upon the sites significance. Devising policiesto protect the site and its important aspects and enable it to be

better understood and appreciated.

The first three sections in the formal Plan deal with understanding, significance and

vulnerability issues each begin with a general introduction to the broad issues

involved and then proceed to discuss the topic in detail. The Policy Section

comprises policy statements under the following headings:

Heritage Assets

Understanding, Archaeology and RecordingConservation and Development

Interpretation and Access


12/160


September 2001

Townscape

Use

Statutory Considerations

Resources

Management and Ownership

Vehicular Movement and Parking

Competing Values and Priorities

In the case of the Chester Amphitheatre normal scope and design of the conservation

plan process has been modified and extended to provide the basis for key decisions in

relation to further excavation and the future of Dee House; at the Issues stage

various basic options for the future management were developed and examined

As required by the client steering group the policies section do notpredetermine any

particular option but provided a set of criteria against which future management

strategies could be assessed. The study documents are presented in two parts. Part I,

the formal conservation plan, is intended for adoption by the commissioning parties.

This comprises the standard sections on Understanding, Significance, Issues, Policiesand a Gazetteer. Part IIis an informal document, which presents a study of various

future options for the core area and this analysis leads to a recommended

management strategy.

The method of study has involved inspections of the study site by the Consultant

teams to gain an overall appreciation of its main components, its general condition

and use. Four site visits have been made to Dee House before and after the

completion of various safety works. Desk based research has been undertaken mainly

using secondary sources and examination of limited primary sources where this has

been possible. At each of the key stages in the process, (understanding, issues and

policies) workshops have been held with the commissioning team to share knowledge

and discuss vulnerability and policy development. Discussion papers and drafts havebeen produced by the consultants for these sessions. Comments and ideas from the

commissioning team have been crucial to the process and the final report.

1.6 Parties to the Plan

During the preparation of the plan English Heritage have brought together a

commissioning team comprising all those bodies with a direct ownership or

management interest in the site.

The following organisations are parties to the plan and have been represented on the

commissioning team:

English Heritage

Chester City Council

Chester Amphitheatre Trust

Chester Archaeological Society

Chester In Concert

Chester City Guides

David McLean Developments Ltd


13/160


September 2001


14/160

Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan 6 Donald Insall AssociatesSeptember 2001

2 UNDERSTANDING

2.1 OverviewThe understanding section of the conservation plan study provides the foundation

upon which the consideration of the areas significance, the issues affecting itssignificance and the policies designed for its protection and enhancement are based.The general approach has been firstly to examine the history and describe both thecore and secondary areas, as they exist today in general terms. This provides thecontext for more detailed studies of particular aspects of the core area relevant to theconservation plan. The understanding section is structured as follows:

Standard conservation plan introductory sections include a chronology of the keyevents, an outline review of previous investigations and research a shortdescription of the areas topography and geology. (2.22.4)

An overview of the areas history. (2.52.6) An analysis of the area today. (2.72.10) A detailed examination of the core area. (2.112.17)

2.2 Chronology Summary of Core and Secondary AreaDate AD Key Events

48/9 First Roman penetration into Cheshire and North-east Wales.

60s Possible auxiliary fort at Chester.

Early 70s Possible larger fort at Chester.

c.75 Construction of legionary fortress by legio II Adiutrix Pia Fidelis.

c.100 Rebuilding of fortress in stone.

c.230 Fortress reconstructed.

c.410 Britain no longer part of Roman Empire

603 Synod of Chester. Second meeting of Augustine with British Bishops.

613 Battle of Chester. Aelthelfrith of Northumbria defeats combined forcesof Powys and Gwynedd.

689 The traditional date of the foundation of the Church of St John theBaptist, during the reign of Aethelraed I of Mercia (675-704).

973 King Eadger I was reputedly rowed across the River Dee by elevenBritish and Norse princes, including the kings of Scotland andStrathclyde, who then paid homage to him. The actual ceremony mayhave been held in the remains of the Amphitheatre and celebrated bymass in the Church of St John the Baptist.

1057 The Church of St John the Baptist was re-founded as a collegiateestablishment by Leofric, Earl of Mercia.

1066 Legend has it that King Harold II was not killed at the Battle of Hastingsbut fled to Chester and passed his remaining years there as a hermit.

1069-70 Cheshire laid waste by William the Conqueror, and Chester Castlefounded.

1071 Hugh of Avranches (nicknamed Lupus or The Wolf) created Earl ofChester.


15/160


1075 Bishop Peter of Lichfield moved his see to Chester, utilizing the Churchof St John the Baptist as his cathedral.

1095 The see was translated by Bishop Peters successor, Robert de Limesey,to Coventry in 1095, but the church remained a cathedral by name,together with Lichfield and Coventry.

1357 John Spicer was pardoned for having built a hermitage near the RiverDee without permission. This may refer to the Anchorites Cell.

1468 The tower over the nave crossing of the Church of St John the Baptistcollapsed as a result of general neglect of the fabric during and after the

plague years.

1506 Henry VII granted the City of Chester its Great Charter.

1547 Edward VIs commissioners stripped the lead from the quire and aislesof the Church of St John the Baptist, beginning the process of ruination.

1572 and

1574

The collapse of the tower of the Church of St John the Baptist, which in

turn demolished part of the nave. The parishioners rebuilt this after thepurchase of the church in 1581, together with the building of the eastwall.

1644-6 The Parliamentary forces besieged Chester. A battery was placed nearthe Church of St John the Baptist in September 1645.

1703 Chester City Corporation starts the repair and improvement of the CityWalls to include a public wall walk.

1730 Dee House built by James Comberbach, mayor of Chester, 1727-8.

1732 The Groves was laid out between the Bowling Green House andAndrew Kendricks Garden.

c.1750 Bishops Palace built by Bishop Peploe.

1768 The building of the Wolf Gate in the City Walls.

EarlyC19th

St Johns Cottage built on the approximate site of the early BishopsPalace.

1832 Completion of the Grosvenor Bridge over the River Dee.

1852 Opening of the Suspension Bridge to link The Groves to the new suburbof Queens Park.

1854 Dee House acquired for use as a Catholic school by the FaithfulCompanions of Jesus.

1859-64 Restoration of the Church of St John the Baptist.

1867 The 2nd

Marquis of Westminster gave 20 acres to be laid out asGrosvenor Park.

1867-9 Chapel and classroom wing for Dee House built to the design ofEdmund Kirby.

1880s The Groves extended to the west at the expense of Alderman CharlesBrown.

1881 The collapse of the west tower of the Church of St John the Baptist.

1887 Erection of a new clock tower for the Church of St John the Baptist.

1908 Roman South-East Angle Tower identified during the building of a newtelephone exchange.


16/160


1910 The Hermitage acquired by Chester City Corporation and renovated.

1921 Bishops Palace ceased to be the official residence of the Bishop ofChester and was converted into a YMCA hostel.

1925 The Ursuline Order takes over the school in Dee House.

1929 Rediscovery of the Amphitheatre during excavation of foundations forthe new southern Assembly Hall wing of Dee House.

1930 Excavation of Roman South-East Angle Tower.

1934 Chester Archaeological Society acquired St Johns House.

1937 Restoration of the thirteenth century chapter house crypt of the Churchof St John the Baptist

1938 The completion of The Newgate.

1949 Creation of the Roman Garden.

1958 Demolition of St Johns House.1965-9 Excavation of the Amphitheatre, which opened to the public in 1972.

Early1970s

Dee House acquired by the GPO (British Telecom).

1987 Public Enquiry into the possible demolition of Dee House.

1993-4 Dee House acquired by McClean Developments Ltd and theeighteenth century block, chapel wing and early twentieth century neo-classical wing sold to Chester County Council.

1995 The southern 1929 wing of Dee House demolished.

c.2000-1 Erection of new County Court to the south of Dee House.

2.3 Previous Research and Studies

In the preparation of the conservation plan numerous previous studies have beenreferred. These are detailed in Appendix B including:

Archaeology (studies and reports of investigations of the amphitheatre and otherRoman and medieval remains).Planning Studies and Policies (both informal and statutory)Built Heritage Studies(including the study site and Chester generally)

Dee House(condition and feasibility reports)The Use of the Amphitheatre for Cultural Events

2.4 Topography/Morphology

The Roman fortress, which now lies below the heart of Chester City Centre, was laidout on the raised ground some 14m to 23m above the banks of the tidal River Dee.Little St John Street and the sites of St Johns Church and Dee House form agenerally level area at approximately 20m above Ordnance Datum. From here theland slopes steeply down to the Groves riverside promenade which is at 7m aboveOrdnance Datum. The Old Bishops Palace, and St Johns Cottage and the Anchorite

Cell are located on terraces formed within the escarpment. Souters Lane drops fromthe higher level to the Dee in an a cut which may possibly be a natural formation.The sandstone bedrock is exposed at locations in the lower areas in areas between St


17/160


Johns Church and the Anchorite Cell may be the result of quarrying from earlyperiods, river erosion, or both.

In terms of solid geology, Chester is situated in the faulted structural basin of theCheshire lowland, which is floored by a considerable thickness of Permo-Triassicsediments. These sediments are surrounded and underlain by folded, faulted anddenuded strata of Carboniferous and Silurian age. Within Chester itself, andunderlying the Study area, the Permo-Triassic sediments consist of KinnertonSandstones and the Chester Pebble Beds. The Kinnerton Sandstones form the lower

part of the Sherwood Sandstone Group, which were formley known as BunterSandstone. Succeeding the Kinnerton Sandstones are the Chester Pebble Beds, whicha sandstone characterised by the presence of rounded quartzite pebbles of varyingdiameter ( Harris and Thacker 1987, 11). In the area of Chester these sandstones form

part of the Mid-Cheshire ridge, an area ideal for the placing of a settlement.

The drift geology of the study site has been determined by the glaciations of theDevensian and more recently by the sedimentation regimes of the River Dee. During

the Devensian maximum ice sheets flowing from the mountains of Wales areestimated to have reached a thickness of c.450m in the Chester area. The movementand thawing of these ice sheets deposited till, or boulder clay, with some glacial sandand gravel. These glacial deposits have been eroded by the changing course of theRiver Dee, which has scoured channels and deposited alluvial material. Changing sealevels during the Holocene period have resulted in these alluvial deposits containingmaterial of a marine, estuarine and riverine nature (Harris and Thacker, 1987, 25).

2.5 An Outline History of Study Site (Core and Secondary Area)

2.5.1 Brief Overview of the History of Chester

The Romans founded Chester in the first century AD as the fortress of Deva, but thissoon grew into a sizeable town, the street plan of which greatly influenced themedieval and later developments of the city within its defensive walls. At the end ofthe Roman era, in the early fifth century, the city shrank in size, and over the ensuingcenturies passed under periods of Welsh, Mercian, and Danish control.

At the beginning of the tenth century Chester was fortified by Aethelflaeda, daughterof Alfred the Great and wife of the Earl of Mercia, and there followed a period of

prosperity as a thriving trading centre and port.

Following the invasion of 1066, the Norman armies fought their way north, slowly

but brutally stamping out resistance, and in 1071 Chester became the administrativecentre of the Earldom of Chester, with a new Castle as a symbol of Norman power.During the middle ages, the City was the principal port of northwest England,conducting an international trade in imports and exports. Because of its strategic

position on the Welsh Marches it was also the centre from which the Englishpacification of North Wales was conducted until its conquest by Edward I.

Chesters position as a major port and trading centre continued until the Dee began tosilt up in the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but it continued as a prosperouscounty town. In the eighteenth century, the Chester Canal was excavated, andinfrastructure improvements in the nineteenth century such as the new river channel,the New Cut, the Grosvenor Bridge, and the opening of the railway in 1840, helped to

consolidate its regional importance.


18/160


Much of the City within the medieval walls was rebuilt or materially altered in theVictorian period, resulting in the characteristic black and white style, of whichPenson, Lockwood and John Douglas were leading exponents.

During the twentieth century, commercial activities, which had centred on the docksand canal diminished and finally ended in the 1960s with the closure of ConnahsQuay. Rail traffic also declined leading to the closure in 1970 of both the Northgateand Liverpool Road stations, but road traffic increased materially leading to theconstruction of the Inner Ring Road, completed in 1972, which involved the loss ofmany important Georgian buildings.

2.5.2 Pre Roman

No pre-Roman structures or features have been discovered within the Study Sitealthough a small collection of worked cherts and flints of prehistoric date wasrecovered during the excavations carried out in 2000 (Matthews et al2001, 68-70).Excavations on the Frodsham Street car-park site several hundred metres to the north

in 1966 found evidence of pre-Roman cultivation in the form of plough marks cutinto the surface of the natural clay. Paleobotanical analysis indicated a date in the2nd/3rd century BC for this activity, which points to the existence of some form ofminor settlement in the vicinity. Cultivation appears to have ceased been well beforethe advent of the Roman era with the land reverting to scrub and some degree of re-afforestation (Frodsham Street 1966, Excavation Archive, Chester Archaeology).

2.5.3 Roman

The earliest occupation of the Study Site occurred in the Roman period when the arealay within the extramural settlement alongside the legionary fortress of Deva Victrix.Beyond the southeast angle-tower of the legionary defences, which lies at the north

western tip of the Study Site, lay the legionary amphitheatre constructed soon afterthe fortress around AD 75. Initially of timber, this was replaced by a much largeramphitheatre constructed of masonry c.AD 100. Like many other military buildingsat Chester, this experienced a period of dereliction beginning around the middle of the2nd century, which may have lasted for over a century. It was subsequentlyrecommissioned and was used until at least the middle of the 4th century. To thenorth and north-east of the amphitheatre lay the civilian buildings of the extramuralsettlement or canabae legionis with accompanying backland areas used for semi-industrial activities such as metal-working and glass-making. It was commonplacefor bath-buildings to be built adjacent to amphitheatres and there is slight evidencethat such a facility was provided at Chester, sited to the south on a terrace beside theDee. Occupation of the settlement may have declined sharply after c.AD 350.


19/160


Roman Chester

In terms of the topography of Roman Chester the total Study Site comprises an areaapproximately 200 metres square stretching from the southeast angle of the legionaryfortress down to the River Dee. It thus constitutes a significant proportion of the areaimmediately outside the defences, which was occupied by the extramural settlementor canabaelegioniscontaining both military and civilian buildings and facilities. TheCore Area of the Study Site contains the remains of both the southeast angle of thefortress as well as those of one of the largest extramural facilities the legionary

amphitheatre (amphitheatrum or ludus). At least one other substantial Romanbuilding - possibly a bath-building - lay south of the amphitheatre, seemingly sited onthe lowest of a series of terraces immediately beside the Dee (Frere 1990, 329), whileextensive traces of civilian buildings have been found in the areas to the north andnorth-east and also to the south-west (Mason 1987, 160-3). In addition, the sandstone

bedrock exposed along the river cliff hereabouts was the subject of extensivequarrying in the Roman period, as later, for the purpose of obtaining building stone.

Construction of the legionary fortress began c.AD 74 and there is some evidence forbelieving that the temporary accommodation for the construction party was providedin the form of a defended encampment situated immediately north and northeast ofthe amphitheatre site (Mason 1987, 145-6). Work on the construction of the firstamphitheatre, built of timber, appears to have begun within a few years of the fortressfoundation; perhaps an indication of the importance attached to it by the legionarycommand. This was replaced by a new and much larger amphitheatre constructedlargely of masonry by c.AD 100 (Thompson 1976, 163-4). How long the timberamphitheatre remained in use before being demolished is uncertain but the absence ofany major structural repairs or replacements within the sectors examined so farsuggests it may have had a comparatively brief existence, possibly a decade or evenless. In addition, some of the structural features associated with the stoneamphitheatre could be interpreted as evidence for an unfinished intermediate stage inwhich it was planned to rebuild the structure with dimensions little changed fromthose of the timber ludus. See Three phases of Construction on the following page.

The rebuilding of the amphitheatre in stone was part of the same general programmeof reconstruction which saw the addition of a masonry revetment to the front of theoriginal turf and timber rampart of the fortress along with the replacement of its


20/160


wooden towers and gates by stone successors (LeQuesne 1999, 138-45). Now, if notbefore, a road ran from the vicinity of the north entrance of the amphitheatre toconnect with the main road (whose line is perpetuated by modern Foregate Street)which entered the fortress via the east gate. The requirement for large quantities of

building stone in this period probably gave rise to the first major quarrying operationsalong the river cliff south of the amphitheatre. The civil settlement beside the fortressexpanded rapidly in its first few decades of existence. This appears to have been

particularly true in the eastern sector of the canabae legioniswith the consequencethat by AD 120 side streets lined with buildings were laid out south of what is nowForegate Street reaching almost as far as the north eastern tip of the secondary areaof the Study Site. This may have continued to approach even closer to theamphitheatre in later periods but a lack of excavation in the relevant areas means thiscannot be confirmed. There was also growth of the suburb south of the fortress inthis period including the Duke Street area, which is contiguous with the western

border of the Study Site (Mason forthcoming).The absence of much of the garrison during the middle decades of the second century

resulted in many intramural legionary buildings falling into disrepair because oflapsed maintenance. This was also true of the amphitheatre where a substantial layerof naturally deposited humic material supplemented by refuse deposits was allowedto accumulate over the area floor. In the fortress, this phase of dereliction was

brought to an end by the whole scale reconstruction of its buildings, which took placeduring the AD 220s and 230s. The amphitheatre by contrast does not appear to have

been refurbished until later on in the third century. However, the results of recent re-examination of the stratigraphical sequence on other sites suggests that this may infact be due to misinterpretation of the evidence with an early third centuryrefurbishment failing to be identified.

The arena received a new surfacing of sandstone paving c.AD 300 and the

amphitheatre apparently continued in use until at least the middle of the fourthcentury (Thompson 1976, 183). The date at which it ceased to be used is unknown

but as coin evidence points to a reduction in the size of the garrison at Chester aroundAD 360 (Shotter 2000, 45) and other evidence suggests a shrinkage of the extramuralsettlement around the same time (Mason 1987, 162) then it probably ceased to bemaintained as a functioning amphitheatre wellbeforethe end of the fourth century.


21/160


Three Stages of Amphitheatre Construction

Phase 1 Phase 2

Phase 3


22/160


2.5.4 Sub Roman/Anglo Saxon/Viking

Nothing is known of activity in this area in the early part of this general period. TheChurch of St. John the Baptist was held by medieval chroniclers to have beenestablished in AD 689 but this is uncorroborated by independent evidence. Thechurch certainly developed into a major institution by the tenth century and controlledmuch of the land around it. It was the setting for a great ceremony in 973 whenBritish and Norse rulers paid homage to King Eadgar. The greatest phase of buildingoccurred soon after the Norman Conquest when for a brief period St. Johns becamethe main cathedral church of the Bishop of Lichfield. The decaying structure of theamphitheatre was probably denuded of its masonry for successive enlargements of the

prospering St. Johns and for the construction of a monastery of St. Mary whichexisted somewhere in the immediate vicinity. The riverfront to the south may wellhave become the scene of one or branches of the leather-working industry in the late

pre-Conquest period as this part of the city was rapidly colonised by Hiberno-Norsesettlers and traders. The precise date of the extension of the defences down to theriver is unknown. The original sections of the city wall running parallel with Souters

Lane are probably of twelfth century origin but this defensive line may have beenestablished at the beginning of the tenth century when Chester was refortified as aburhby Queen Aethelflaed of Mercia.

As with the rest of the city nothing is known about occupation or activity in this partof Chester in the immediate post-Roman period. The holding of a synod of British

bishops in Civitas Legionumc.AD 603, suggests Chester was still a place of someimportance but the nature and extent of the settlement of this period have yet to beelucidated (Bede, Historia Ecclesiastica II.2). The church of St. John the Baptist,lying just east of the amphitheatre, was considered by medieval chroniclers to have

been founded in AD 689 by King Ethelred of Mercia and Bishop Wilfrid (Harris1980, 2; Thacker 1987, 269). It became one of Chesters two Minster churches (the

other being St. Werburgh's later the cathedral), enjoyed a monopoly on burial rightsoutside the defences, and benefited from both royal and aristocratic patronage. In thelate Saxon period this part of the city was designated the manor of Redcliff, a namederived from the extensive outcrops of sandstone along the neighbouring river cliff.This ready supply of stone was used not only for successive phases of rebuilding atSt. Johns but also by a school of sculptors producing crosses and burial slabs in the9th and 10th centuries (Bu`Lock 1972, 81-4). The crumbling masonry of theamphitheatre was very likely another source of stone for the successive phases of theenlargement of St. Johns and other ecclesiastical buildings in the neighbourhood. It,or its site, continued as a major feature of the townscape into the early medieval

period and the street-system in the area remained much as it had in the Roman periodbeing based on the road around the perimeter of the amphitheatre - St. Johns

Lane/Little St Johns Lane - with another running northwards parallel with and justoutside the defences up to Foregate Street known as Ironmongers Street, now St JohnStreet (Dodgson 1968, 47).

In 973 the church was the setting for a great ceremony in which eleven British andNorse kings and sub-kings pledged allegiance to Eadgar I, having first acting asrowers of the barge which brought him from the royal residence at Aldford (Anglo-SaxonChronicle sub anno973; Florence of Worcester, Chronicon ex Chronicis, edB. Thorpe, 142-3). Shortly before the Norman Conquest Leofric Earl of Mercia paidfor repairs to the church buildings and also conferred new privileges upon it which

probably included the establishment of the College of Canons attested a few yearslater (Pevsner & Hubbard 1971, 148). Domesday records the existence of amonastery of St. Mary in Redcliff but its exact position remains unknown (Morgan1978 B11). By 1377 the dedication had been absorbed by an altar-chapel in St.Johns (Dodgson 1981, 83).


23/160


The City wall defines the western boundary of the Study Site. The precise date whenthe line of the Roman fortress defences was extended to follow the course taken bythe present city wall is unknown although both place- and street-name evidence(Dodgson 1968, 52-4) and information about the defences contained in the Domesdayaccount of Chester (Mason 1985, 36-9) suggest this had already occurred by the timeof the Norman Conquest. Indeed, this line may well have been established whenChester was refortified by Aethelflaede, Queen of Mercia, in AD 907 and added tothe chain of strongholds known as burhsdesigned to contain Viking expansion. Thefirst documentary reference to a gate near the southeast angle of the fortress occursc.1258 when it was called the Wolfeld Gate, a term possibly derived from the OldEnglish womans name Wulfhild (Dodgson 1981, 26). Replaced by the firstNewgate in 1552/3, this may have stood on the site of an even earlier gate providedoriginally to allow easy access between the City and St. Johns.

The medieval leather-working industries, which occupied much of the waterfrontfrom the Souters Lane area westwards to the land below the castle, may have had

there its origins in the pre-Conquest period. Souter is Middle English for Shoemaker.Large-scale tanning operations were established by the late tenth century in the LowerBridge Street area and other major commercial and industrial activities are likely tohave been established early on in this part of the city as it was the preferred ordesignated location for settlers and traders of Hiberno-Scandinavian origin engaged incommerce across the Irish Sea (BuLock 1972, 58-70; Mason 1980, 8-39). Thenorth-south Souters Lane/St John Street route became the dominant thoroughfare inthis area and remained so until the 19thCentury.

2.5.5 Medieval

The medieval history of the Study Site is closely linked to St Johns, a Saxon

foundation that may date back to 689. St Johns was re-founded as a collegiateestablishment in 1057 by Leofric, Earl of Mercia. In 1075 it became a cathedralwhen Bishop Peter of Lichfield moved his see to Chester, and started on the creationof his cathedral church, a task that was interrupted by the transfer of the see toCoventry by Bishop Robert de Limesey in c.1102 (Richards 1973, 103-4). The workcompleted during this phase of construction comprised the lower nave walls, the archover the crossing, the two transepts, and the arches from the present sanctuary to thenow ruined chancel. Work resumed in the late twelfth century with the building ofthe Triforium, and then, in the thirteenth century, the Clerestory was finished,resulting in one of the last examples of Romanesque architecture in the region.Included in the enhanced facilities was a palace for a Bishop, which is thought tohave stood on the south of the Church (Richards 1973, 104).

A wall painting of St John the Baptist dating to the fourteenth century can be seen onthe north eastern pillar of the nave.

Little St John Street and Souters Lane are both first recorded in 1274, and it is likelythat they followed Roman streets, which took account of the location of theamphitheatre. Vicars Lane, referring to the vicarage of St Johns, also appears tohave been in existence by the early fourteenth century.

The earliest plan of St Johns is entitled The Ground Plot of St Johns College,Chester, before it was ruinated by the fall of the Steeple, which stood in the middle ofthe Church cathedral-like, [Cooper Scott, 1892, 20], and shows St Johns and itscurtilage in c.1468.


24/160


The ground plot of St Johns College, 1470

At that date St Johns extended to the full extent of the present ruins, to the east andwest, and also had various additional chapels, no longer extant, as well as the separatechapels of St Ann, to the east, and St James, to the immediate south. Also shown tothe west are the Deans House and the Bishops House, the latter standing on theapproximate site of St Johns Cottage. In 1468 the central spire collapsed, causingextensive damage to the church; the spire was not rebuilt.

The present stepped footpaths down to the River Dee are shown on the c.1468 plan tothe southeast and south west of the church.

2.5.6 Tudor, Stuart and Commonwealth

The collegiate use of St Johns ended with the Dissolution of the Monasteries, atwhich time it comprised a dean and seven prebends. In 1547 Edward VIscommissioners removed the lead roofing, precipitating the decay of the fabric. In1572 and in 1574 the church tower collapsed, demolishing part of the nave. In 1581,St Johns became the parish church, occasioning the repair of the nave and thecreation of the east wall.

A plan of St Johns and its surroundings taken from two plans in the BritishMuseum, 1589 (Cooper Scott, 1892, 56) shows the extent to which it had shrunkover the ensuing 120 years, assuming the present proportions.


25/160


Plan of the church and its surroundings, 1589

The key to the plan provides information on how St Johns may have looked in thelate sixteenth century. The tower, which collapsed in 1572-4 (K), is described asundergoing reconstruction, and at the eastern end of the now truncated church was avery fair window lately built. At some time a small house, (H), had been built by the

porch (I), and its garden extended east inside the ruined north aisle. The ruins of theearly church (M) to the east of the newly built wall was ruinated, and is a garden oryard to keep timber therein, but the chapels to the east (O, P, Q) appear to have beenin better condition, since they had fair roofs, vaulted or arched over with stone,richly carved and gilt.

The present Croquet Green to the south of the church is described as a yard or gardenbelonging to the Churchyard in the occupation of some cloth workers; Cooper Scottnotes that this was part of the quarry from which the church was built (Cooper Scott,1892, 58). The Anchorites Cell was still being used as a meeting hall by theWeavers Company in the eighteenth century (Chester Official Guide Book, 22)suggesting a long association with the textile industry.

The earliest surviving printed plan of Chester is by Braun and Hogenberg of 1581.

This clearly shows St Johns, together with what may be the Anchorites Cell to thesoutheast, and a building to the northeast, which is probably Cholmondeley Hall, builtby Hugh Cholmondeley, one of Henry VIIIs commissioners responsible for thedissolution of St Johns College. Cholmondeley Hall, which was built on the site ofSt Anns Chapel, was destroyed during the Civil War siege of Chester (Cooper Scott,1892, 58). This 1581 plan is, however, difficult to equate with later plans, such asSpeeds of 1610, in that it does not show Dee Lane (now Souter's Lane), but insteadshows St Johns as being surrounded on three sides by houses. There are othertopographical inconsistencies, which suggest that the plan cannot be taken as anentirely reliable document.


26/160


City of Chester, 1581

Speeds plan of 1610 appears to be a more accurate representation.

Church of John the Baptist, 1610

The present street plan of the Study Site is clearly identifiable with Dee Lane (nowSouters Lane) and St Johns Lane (now St Johns Street) being specifically named.

There are houses in the immediate vicinity of the Newgate, and a building frontingDee Lane to the south of the Dee House site; this may account for the substantialearly-looking retaining wall on the east of Dee Lane. To the east of the Study Areaare various buildings, presumably Cholmondeley Hall. The remainder of the site isalmost undeveloped.

During the Civil War the Royalist defenders of Chester built protective outworksfrom King Charless Tower east to the River Dee at Boughton. On 20thSeptember1645 a Parliamentary assault party took the Small Mount at Boughton, opened theturnpike gates and, with reinforcements, drove the defenders back to within the CityWalls. St Johns, with its tower as an observation post, was turned into aParliamentary stronghold with a battery being built in the churchyard to the north. Itwas from this battery that a breach was made in the City Walls near the Newgate, andthe gun was subsequently moved to the Bowling Green, where it inflicted damage toBarnabys Tower.


27/160


2.5.7 The late 17th

and 18th

centuries

De Laveauxs plan of Chester (1745) shows the Study Site in some detail.

De Laveaux, 1745

The area between Dee Lane and the City wall (from the River Dee to the Newgate) isshown with trees, not apparently formally planted as with The Groves. Dee House,and the building, which preceded the Bishops Palace, is clearly identified, and thearea appears to have been popular for leisure and entertainment, with the LowerBowling Green and Dee Side Walks being shown. An unidentified house is shown tothe south east of the Bishops Palace.

Dee House is shown with a narrow service wing to the west and it has been suggested

that there may have been a further wing to the east, on the site of the present chapelwing. No archaeological evidence has been found to support this and EdmundKirbys detailed building specification for the chapel makes no mention of siteclearance. The outbuildings along Souters Lane are clearly shown, suggesting thatthe present, probably late nineteenth century range, replaced this earlier range.

The plan does not show any buildings along Church Lane, but this may not beconclusive and the shading to the north may possibly indicate housing. However, the

present site of the exposed Amphitheatre was used as a bear pit in the eighteenthcentury (Chester Official Guide Book, 21), and was thus presumably an undevelopedspace.

Hunters plan of Chester (1789) shows Dee House, the 1750 Bishops Palace, StJohns Cottage, the unidentified house, and St Johns House, all with extensivegardens. There is also limited development on the northern end of the present Roman


28/160


Garden, an unidentified building on The Groves, adjacent to the Anchorites Cell, anda house and garden to the immediate east of St Johns.

Hunter, 1789

Dee House is shown surrounded by formal gardens, but for some reason no servicerange is shown along Souters Lane.

At some date in the eighteenth century, a house known as The Priory was erected inthe eastern ruins of St Johns. It was built by Sir Robert Cotton and occupied by EarlGrosvenor during his mayoralty in 1807-8. Prior to that it had been the residence ofThomas de Quinceys mother, the former being the author of Confessions of an

English Opium Eater, 1821 (Fenwick, 1896, 303).

2.5.8 The nineteenth century

Coles plan (1836) shows little change had occurred during the fifty years followingHunters plan, but by 1853 the house on The Groves appears to have been demolishedand two small buildings have been erected on the site of the present Old OrleansPublic House.


29/160


Thomas, 1853

Geestys plan (1870) shows Grosvenor Park, and the house to the east of St Johnsappears to have been demolished during the laying out of the park.

The Ordnance Survey, first edition 1874, does not record the unidentified house to thesouth east of the Bishops Palace, but shows that development had taken place in the

Newgate, St Johns Street and Little St Johns Street area, and various buildings areshown on the northern sector of the present Roman Garden. The range of service

buildings is also reinstated to the west of Dee House on the east of Souters Lane.

Ordnance survey, 1874


30/160


Grosvenor Park, on land donated by 2nd

Marquis of Westminster, was designed byPaxtons pupil, Edward Kemp in 1865-7. John Douglas was responsible for theentrance lodge, and a structure known as Billy Hobbys Well (listed Grade II), andthere are various other listed medieval structures relocated in the Park. Although notincluded in the Study Site, Grosvenor Park is an important element because of itsopen leafy character.

St Johns was restored in 1859-66 by R C Hussey. The east window, 1863, by T MPenson, depicts the marriage in Cana of Galilee, and commemorates the marriage ofthe Prince of Wales; the west window, 1887-90, by E Frampton, covers incidents inthe churchs history and its association with Chester. In 1881, the upper part of thenorthwest tower collapsed, destroying the north porch. John Douglas rebuilt this in1882, who was also the architect for the bell tower (1886-7) and for the rebuilding ofthe north aisle (1887).

St Johns churchyard ceased to be used for burials in 1875, and the faculty for itslevelling to the north and south of the church, including the removal of tombstones

and headstones and their subsequent replacement, was granted in 1908. In 1953 thechurchyard was demised to Chester Corporation, and in 1955 the Corporation becameguardians of the ruined parts of St Johns under the Ancient Monuments Act, 1913.

By the turn of the century, the Ordnance Survey, second edition, 1899, shows that thepresent Old Orleans Public House site has been further developed, and the areaimmediately to the north has been laid out as a bowling green, although notspecifically identified as such until the Ordnance Survey, third edition, 1911.

Ordnance survey 1899

The Groves had long been a popular recreational space, and in 1883 a floating publicbath was moored in the River Dee. The Bath, filled with river water, was open in thesummer only, from 6 am to 9 pm. It closed when the new City Baths opened in 1910.


31/160


Boating was also popular at the turn of the century, and the annual Chester Regattawas a high point in the Citys social diary.

2.5.9 The twentieth century

During the late 1920s plans were drawn up to improve traffic flow by re-routing awidened Little St Johns Street through a new Newgate, to be built immediately to thesouth of the 1760 Newgate (now known as Wolfs Gate). In 1929, during the courseof building the foundations for an extension to Dee House, the existence of theRoman Amphitheatre was established. A small-scale excavation in 1930-1 of areas inthe northern half of the site enabled the general plan and dimensions of the structureto be calculated, and this showed that the proposed extension of Vicars Lane wouldcut through the archaeological site. There was considerable local opposition to thenew road scheme, and in 1932 the Chester Archaeological Society launched anational appeal for funds, which rose sufficient to purchase the large eighteenth

century St Johns House in 1934.

Front elevation of St Johns House Rear elevation

The demolition of St Johns House was completed in 1958 (Thompson, 1976, 131), tobe followed by limited excavation work, and culminating in the detailedarchaeological excavation of the northern half of the amphitheatre in 1965-9. Theexposed structures were then laid out as an ancient monument, being opened to the

public in 1972. The present wall, which terminates the exposed amphitheatre, waserected after the completion of the excavations.

Although the 1920s road scheme did not proceed, the Newgate was built, beingcompleted in 1938. This scheme retained the old Newgate (Wolfs Gate), whichbecame the entrance to the small park in which the remains of the Roman South-EastAngle Tower are displayed.


32/160


The Wolfgate

In 1949 the area to the south of the New Gate was laid out as the Roman Gardens,incorporating a selection of Roman columns and bases from other sites in Chester,together with reconstructed hypocaust pillars from the Bath building in Bridge Street.In 1999 this was redesigned by Rob Roger Associates, and the work in executed2000-01. The official opening is scheduled for the summer of 2001.

Donations towards the cost of the gardens were received from the estate of Sally, lateDuchess of Westminster, and from the Bank of Scotland.

The design retained the existing reconstructed hypocaust and line of the path in theupper part, however everything else is newly laid out and incorporates areas wherenew art works such as mosaics and sculpture can be placed (circular areas of gravel).The planting is designed to recall an Italian theme, with the use of cypresses and

plants chosen because they were used for medicinal purposes by the Romans. Thistheme is continued in the lower part of the garden where the juxtaposition of thestraight route and the curving path recalls in plan the medical symbol of the snake andstaff. One of the guiding principles here was the provision of access to the riverside

for disabled people, and the whole route from the entrance at the top was laid out withthis in mind.

A clay pipe kiln (extant 1781 through to the nineteenth century) in the upper part ofthe garden was to have been excavated, but there are no plans to proceed with this soit will now be landscaped. This area is situated alongside the City Wall immediately

beside the archway at the top of the garden.

The lower part of the garden has been formed from a steeply sloping area and the siteof a Bowling Green and former boatyard. It is also thought to be the site of a Romanquarry.

The Old Orleans Public House (formerly known as Barnabys) was built in c.1982,with extensions and alterations in 1993. The buildings previously on this site,


33/160


described as sheds, are believed to have been connected with the boat businessmentioned above.

The Youth Information Centre on the southeastern corner of Souters Lane was builtin c.1994, on a site previously occupied by Bethells Boats Limited and the Halt aWhile Cafe.

Following the closure of the Ursuline Convent School, Dee House was acquired byBritish Telecom and used as offices. In 1993, Dee House was purchased by DavidMcLean Developments, PLC/Limited, the eighteenth century block, with its chapelwing and early twentieth century neo-Georgian wing being sold to Chester CityCouncil. In 1995 the southern 1929 wing was demolished, to be replaced by a newCounty Court on which construction work began in January 2000, with an anticipated

opening date of May 2001.

2.6 The Discovery of Roman Chester

2.6.1 The 18thand Early 19thCenturies

Interest in and the reporting of discoveries of Roman remains was first stimulated byfinds made during the wave of building activity in the city during the closing decadesof the eighteenth century. The major recorded discovery at this time was theextensive ruins of a large bath building, replete with hypocausts and mosaic floors, onthe north side of Lower Watergate Street in 1778/9. Part of another bath building,lying beneath properties on the east side of Bridge Street, had been unearthed someyears earlier and was preserved for people to visit. Consisting of part of a hypocaust,

public access to this monument was much improved when the premises were alteredin 1853 and indeed it can still be visited today (beneath 39 Bridge Street). A muchlarger portion of the same hypocaust was revealed by more building works in 1863.Its stone pillars or pilae were rescued by members of the Chester ArchaeologicalSociety (founded 1849), as were examples of columns from the enormous exercise-hall belonging to the same building. These form the core of the collection ofarchitectural pieces now displayed in the Roman garden beside the Newgate.

2.6.2 The Later 19th

and 20th

Century

The Society rapidly built up collections of Roman and later artefacts while accountsof discoveries were regularly reported in its Journal. The Roman material wasgreatly enhanced in the early 1890s by the large number of inscribed and sculpturedstones retrieved during investigation of the North Wall of the City. These were

installed in the recently constructed Grosvenor Museum, founded by theArchaeological and Natural Science Societies with the aid of the Duke ofWestminster. Although the Museum passed into the control of the City Corporationin 1915 all archaeological excavation and research continued to be undertaken by theArchaeological Society, most notably by the Honorary Curator of its collections,Professor Robert Newstead, who directed most of the excavations undertaken in thefirst half of the twentieth century. These included the exposure of the southeastangle-tower of the fortress in 1930 and the definition of the outline of the northernhalf of the amphitheatre - 1930-31 and 1934 - following its discovery in 1929 byanother prominent Society member W J Williams. The Society purchased much ofthe northern half of the amphitheatre site with the proceeds of a public appeal thussecuring its protection and donated it to the state in 1959 opening the way for its

excavation and display by the Ministry of Public Buildings & Works.


34/160


After the Second World War, and Newstead`s death in 1947, the City Councilappointed the first full-time Curator and for the next twenty-five years the holders ofthis post directed excavations in the City, often staffed with volunteers from theSociety. Perfectly adequate for small-scale research excavations, this arrangementwas totally incapable of dealing with the enormous scale of redevelopment thataffected the City in the 1960s. In the early part of that decade losses included about50% of the remaining part of the fortress baths with its intact hypocausts and mosaicfloors, circumstances allowing only the bare minimum of recording, along with thenorth-west corner of the fortress defences which still stood to a height of c.3.5 metres.An increase in the importance accorded to archaeological remains meant that greaterresources were made available when major redevelopment took place in the citycentre in the later 1960s (involving the erection of the Gateway Theatre, New MarketHall and the Forum offices, although this did not prevent the complete destruction ofanother well-preserved bath-house and the Elliptical Building, a structure unique inthe Roman World. The creation by the City Council of a permanent Excavations Unitin 1972 (now Chester Archaeology) improved the situation further enabling theincorporation of archaeological considerations into development planning at an early

stage. Numerous excavations carried out since then have added greatly to knowledgeof both the legionary fortress and the town-sized settlement, which grew up around it.

2.7 Area Analysis: Method of Study

2.7.1 This part of the understanding section provides a broad analysis of the study site(core and secondary areas) as it exists today. The site is examined on the basis ofeight zones, named A- H. These are defined in section 2.8.

Each zone is considered systematically with notes covering the following topics:

a) Location/Extent of the Zone

b) Plan and Photographsc) Principal buildings/structures*d) Usese) Ownership and managementf) Townscape/landscapeg) Condition*h) Archaeology*i) Interpretation/visitor facilities*

This analysis examines both core and secondary areas to the same level of detail togive a general overview of the area as whole. Those topics above marked * withincore area are dealt with in greater depth in paragraphs 2.11 to 2.17.


35/160


2.8 Area Analysis: Plans

2.8.1 Location ofStudy zones

KEYThe Core area zones: The Secondary area zones:

A: Amphitheatre F: The Old Bishops Palace and St JohnsB: Little St Johns Street/Vicars Lane CottageC: Dee House G: The GrovesD: The new County Courts H: St John the Baptist Church and theE: The Roman Gardens Hermitage (Anchorite cell)


36/160


2.8.2 Principal Buildings, Structures and Spaces

KEY1 : Amphitheatre 11: The Roman south east angle tower

2 :Dee House 12:Old Orleans public house3 :Dee House Ancillary Buildings 13:Shop/ Information centre4 :New County Court 14:Public Conveniences5 :The Old Bishops Palace 15:Roman Gardens6 :St Johns Cottage 16:The Groves7 :The Hermitage 17:Bowling Green8 :Church of St John the Baptist 18:Former Churchyard St John the Baptist9 :The City Walls 19:Former Churchyard St John the Baptist10: The Newgate and Wolf gate


37/160


2.8.3 Vehicular and Pedestrian Movement

KEY

>> Pedestrian (traffic free) route Visitor destinations

Vehicular routes P Car parking

Site access Pedestrian crossing


38/160


2.9 Area Analysis: Zone Descriptions

Zone A: The Amphitheatre

a) Location/Extent of the ZoneThe excavated area of the amphitheatre bounded by Dee House and Little St JohnStreet.

b) Photograph

The Amphitheatre

c) Principal buildings/structures (for further detail see 2.11.1)Excavated remains of the stone built military amphitheatre; built in the very late firstcentury, and remaining in use until c.350. The structure was oval in shape, measuringsome 90m by 105m, of which just under half of the northern section has beenexcavated and presented for public display as a monument. The remainder lies underthe site of the new County Courts and Dee House, its forecourt and former garden.

d) Uses (for further detail see 2.13.16)The site is a permanently displayed archaeological excavation open to the public. Itis also used for occasional public entertainment events.

e) Ownership and managementThe land is in the guardianship of English Heritage and an agreement is in operationwith the Chester City Council, which is responsible for day to day management andmaintenance. No charges are made for public admission. Occasional free publicentertainment events are organised by the City Council. In 1999 a major open-airconcert event was arranged by the Chester in Concert group. The logistics of thisevent have been well documented in a report by the group.

f) Townscape/landscape

The site is in the form of a segment of an ellipse with the site of the former perimeterseating laid out in grass surrounding the sunken amphitheatre space, which issurfaced in gravel. The site is enclosed by a 1m high railing separating it from thesurrounding roadway and a high retaining wall, which defines the extent of the

excavation to the south and the boundary to Dee House. The lower part of the wall isin exposed aggregate concrete panels and the upper section in brickwork. This wall isa most dominating feature in the urban landscape and bears no relationship to the


39/160


form or history of the amphitheatre or the surrounding urban grain. The space is bestappreciated from the lower level of the amphitheatre or from the higher level view

provided by the City Walls. Viewed from the adjacent roadway and pavements theamphitheatre excavations have little impact.

g) Condition (for further detail see 2.11.1(e))The condition of the monument is generally good.

h) Archaeology (for further detail see 2.11.1)This zone consists of the excavated portion of the amphitheatre, which approximatesto 41% of the entire monument. Discovered during building works at the rear of DeeHouse in 1929 (Williams 1929, 218-9; Lawson 1932, 66-8) its outline wasestablished by trial excavations in 1930-31 and 1934 (Newstead & Droop 1932, 5-40;

Newstead 1936, 125; 1948, 99-107) with the full excavation of its northern halfcarried out in the years 1960-69 by the Ministry of Public Building & Works(Thompson 1976). The following three years were taken up with consolidation ofthe exposed masonry and presentation works. The sunken arena and its perimeter

wall constitute the main focus for the visitor along with the north entrance (portaPompei) and the east entrance (portapostica). The approximate positions of the outerwall and the minor entrances are delineated in the surface of the grassed area of theseating-bank (cavea) by concrete markers. Investigations were conducted in 2000 todetermine if the 1960s excavation had left any archaeological deposits intact withinthe compass of the displayed portion of the monument (Matthews et al. 2000). Thesedemonstrated that whereas only a few truncated features survive beneath the gravelsurfacing in the arena there are substantial archaeological deposits of Roman and all

later periods still remaining within the area of the seating-bank. St Johns House,amid-eighteenth century mansion with gardens adjoining those of Dee House, wasdemolished in 1958 to allow the excavation of the Amphitheatre.

i) Access/Interpretation/visitor facilities (for further detail see 2.13)Access: Physical access is gained through gateways in the boundary railings at thewest and east extremities of the site. From those points movement through the site isover the grassed perimeter and down timber staircases to the lower gravel area. Nospecial provisions are made for those with disabilities.Interpretation for visitors: Information is limited to one descriptive panel andnameplates on individual features.


40/160


Zone B: Little St John Street/Vicars Lane Corridor

a) Location/Extent of the Zone

The public highways of Little St John Street and Vicars Lane and the garden

containing the remains of the Roman Wall Corner Tower on the north side of theNewgate

b) Photograph

Little St Johns Street viewed from the City

Walls towards the telephone exchange building.

c) Principal buildings/structures Chester Visitor Centre (listed Grade II), formerly St Johns School, built in the

1880s to the design of the London School Board architect E R Robson for thefirst Duke of Westminster. It is a three-storey brick building with stone dressings,and has been the Visitor Centre since the mid-1970s.

Lumley Place Almshouses, Nos. 1 to 7, built in 1878, probably to the design ofJohn Douglas. Listed Grade II. A row of seven almshouse for retired clergy, andone of the few surviving examples in Chester. The gables incorporate patternedterra cotta panels. They are now private houses

Post Office Telephone Exchange. Off the Wall Public House. The Wolf Gate, formerly the Newgate, built in 1760 on the site of a 1608 gate,

with battlements being added in 1890.

The Newgate, built in 1937-8 to the design of Sir William Tapper and MichaelTapper. Listed Grade II together with the Wolf Gate.

d) Uses

A public highway corridor. This is a two way street which is an integral part of thecity centre network providing local access. The buildings are all in uses as indicatedabove.


41/160


e) Ownership and management

Highways and public realm are the responsibility of Chester County Council. TheWolf Gate and Newgate and adjacent gardens and the Chester Visitor Centre are inthe ownership of Chester City Council. All other buildings are in private ownership.

f) Townscape/landscape

Approached from the west the Little St. John Street passes through the narrowNewgate archways beneath the town walls and then loops around the north of theamphitheatre site to continue eastwards as Vicars Lane. Immediately to the north ofthe Newgate is a small landscaped garden in which are displayed the excavatedremains of a corner of the original Roman fortress wall. Beyond, the streetscape isenclosed to the north by a series of building elevations of varying quality and interest.Progressing east from Newgate, the Off the Wall public house makes a positivecontribution to the corner with St. John Street. On the opposite corner is thetelephone exchange a four storey brick building in a plain and uninspired neoGeorgian style. Its ground floor windows have crude internal security screens. The

building makes no contribution to the life of the street and lacks animation.

Unfortunately, it is almost centrally located on the axis of the amphitheatre anddominates the principal space of the core study area to the south. Beyond, on thesame building line is a terrace of attractive 19 th century alms houses. Projectingforward of these is the Chester Visitor Centre, a converted two-storey school, late 19th

century, in red pressed brick. Between Vicars Lane and St Johns Church is an area ofunenclosed public realm landscaping (formerly churchyard) laid out and maintainedto a high quality and characterised by close mown lawns and mature trees.

g) Condition

The public realm and buildings are generally in good outward condition and wellmaintained.

h) ArchaeologyThese two thoroughfares perpetuate the line of the Roman road, which ran around thenorthern perimeter of, and constituted the principal approach to, the amphitheatre.Other roads linking with it gave access to that part of the civilian settlement borderingwhat is now Foregate Street, the latter following the line of the main roadapproaching the fortress east gate, while another almost certainly ran westwardsimmediately outside the south defences of the fortress on the line of modern PepperStreet. Deposits in this area could well contain debris from the collapsed/demolishedsuperstructure of the amphitheatre providing evidence as to its external architecturalform and decoration. Such an important structur

Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan Sept 2001 Vol I

Documents

Transcript of Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan Sept 2001 Vol I