Professional Documents
Culture Documents
prepared for
English Heritage
by
Mason Welland
and
Donald Insall Associates Ltd Chartered Architects and Historic Building Consultants Old Bank Buildings Foregate Street Chester CH1 1JT Tel: 01244 350063 Fax: 01244 350064 Email: dia@insall-deva.demon.co.uk
Mason Welland Ochr Cottage Porch Lane Hope Mountain Caergwrle Flintshire LL12 9HG Tel: 01978 760834 Email: djpmason@dircon.co.uk
The Architectural History Practice Phillimore Cottage Thorncombe Street Nr Bramley Guildford Surrey GU5 0LU Tel: 01483 208633 Email: jla@architecturalhistory.co.uk
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2
2.1 2.2 2.3
UNDERSTANDING
Overview Chronology Summary of Core and Secondary Area Previous Research and Studies
2.4
2.5 2.7 2.8 2.9
Geology / Geomorphology
An Outline History of Study Site (Core and Secondary Area) Area Analysis: Method of Study Area Analysis: Plans 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 Current Planning Policies (core and secondary area)
2.10
2.11
2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15
2.16
2.17
3
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4
SIGNIFICANCE
Methodology Overview of the Study Area (core and secondary) Detailed Significance of the Core Area: Archaeology Detailed Significance of the Core Area: Dee House
4
4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4
ISSUES
Introduction Overview of Key Issues within the Study Site (by zone) The Core Area Detailed Issues 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 Listed Building Consent Issues
4.5
5
5.1 5.2 5.3
POLICIES
Overview Key Policy objectives Policies
APPENDICES
A B C Gazetteer Bibliography Ecology Study
ii
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 significant in terms of their sub Roman and Saxon archaeology. The present St John the Baptist, commenced in the 11th century, 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 18th century and even after that new development was to a low density. The early 18th century Dee House, which in the 19th century became a
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 Donald Insall Associates
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 Amphitheatre would 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 are structured 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 important heritage 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 be popularly 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
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 Donald Insall Associates
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 and to 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.
1.2
The Site
a secondary zone which extends to the River Dee to the south and includes the Church of St John the Baptist to the east.
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 area lay 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 Norman Conquest. These defences lay the foundations for the City Walls, which form the western boundary of the study site today.
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 17th century 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 18th Century 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 19th century, 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 Roman masonry 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
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 its potential 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 for visitors Whether it could be used for other activities complementary to that of heritage interpretation without detrimental affect to its significance, for example as an open-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 further excavation 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
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 Recording Conservation and Development Interpretation and Access
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 not predetermine 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, 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. 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 have been 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
2 2.1
UNDERSTANDING Overview
The understanding section of the conservation plan study provides the foundation upon which the consideration of the areas significance, the issues affecting its significance and the policies designed for its protection and enhancement are based. The general approach has been firstly to examine the history and describe both the core and secondary areas, as they exist today in general terms. This provides the context for more detailed studies of particular aspects of the core area relevant to the conservation plan. The understanding section is structured as follows: Standard conservation plan introductory sections include a chronology of the key events, an outline review of previous investigations and research a short description 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
1075 1095
Bishop Peter of Lichfield moved his see to Chester, utilizing the Church of St John the Baptist as his cathedral. 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. John Spicer was pardoned for having built a hermitage near the River Dee without permission. This may refer to the Anchorites Cell. The tower over the nave crossing of the Church of St John the Baptist collapsed as a result of general neglect of the fabric during and after the plague years. Henry VII granted the City of Chester its Great Charter. Edward VIs commissioners stripped the lead from the quire and aisles of the Church of St John the Baptist, beginning the process of ruination.
1357 1468
1506 1547
1572 and The collapse of the tower of the Church of St John the Baptist, which in 1574 turn demolished part of the nave. The parishioners rebuilt this after the purchase of the church in 1581, together with the building of the east wall. 1644-6 1703 1730 1732 c.1750 1768 Early C19th 1832 1852 1854 1859-64 1867 1867-9 1880s 1881 1887 1908 The Parliamentary forces besieged Chester. A battery was placed near the Church of St John the Baptist in September 1645. Chester City Corporation starts the repair and improvement of the City Walls to include a public wall walk. Dee House built by James Comberbach, mayor of Chester, 1727-8. The Groves was laid out between the Bowling Green House and Andrew Kendricks Garden. Bishops Palace built by Bishop Peploe. The building of the Wolf Gate in the City Walls. St Johns Cottage built on the approximate site of the early Bishops Palace. Completion of the Grosvenor Bridge over the River Dee. Opening of the Suspension Bridge to link The Groves to the new suburb of Queens Park. Dee House acquired for use as a Catholic school by the Faithful Companions of Jesus. Restoration of the Church of St John the Baptist. The 2nd Marquis of Westminster gave 20 acres to be laid out as Grosvenor Park. Chapel and classroom wing for Dee House built to the design of Edmund Kirby. The Groves extended to the west at the expense of Alderman Charles Brown. The collapse of the west tower of the Church of St John the Baptist. Erection of a new clock tower for the Church of St John the Baptist. Roman South-East Angle Tower identified during the building of a new telephone exchange.
1910 1921 1925 1929 1930 1934 1937 1938 1949 1958 1965-9 Early 1970s 1987 1993-4
The Hermitage acquired by Chester City Corporation and renovated. Bishops Palace ceased to be the official residence of the Bishop of Chester and was converted into a YMCA hostel. The Ursuline Order takes over the school in Dee House. Rediscovery of the Amphitheatre during excavation of foundations for the new southern Assembly Hall wing of Dee House. Excavation of Roman South-East Angle Tower. Chester Archaeological Society acquired St Johns House. Restoration of the thirteenth century chapter house crypt of the Church of St John the Baptist The completion of The Newgate. Creation of the Roman Garden. Demolition of St Johns House. Excavation of the Amphitheatre, which opened to the public in 1972. Dee House acquired by the GPO (British Telecom). Public Enquiry into the possible demolition of Dee House. Dee House acquired by McClean Developments Ltd and the eighteenth century block, chapel wing and early twentieth century neoclassical wing sold to Chester County Council. The southern 1929 wing of Dee House demolished. Erection of new County Court to the south of Dee House.
1995 c.2000-1
2.3
2.4
Topography/Morphology
The Roman fortress, which now lies below the heart of Chester City Centre, was laid out 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 a generally level area at approximately 20m above Ordnance Datum. From here the land slopes steeply down to the Groves riverside promenade which is at 7m above Ordnance Datum. The Old Bishops Palace, and St Johns Cottage and the Anchorite Cell are located on terraces formed within the escarpment. Souters Lane drops from the 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
Johns Church and the Anchorite Cell may be the result of quarrying from early periods, river erosion, or both. In terms of solid geology, Chester is situated in the faulted structural basin of the Cheshire lowland, which is floored by a considerable thickness of Permo-Triassic sediments. These sediments are surrounded and underlain by folded, faulted and denuded strata of Carboniferous and Silurian age. Within Chester itself, and underlying the Study area, the Permo-Triassic sediments consist of Kinnerton Sandstones and the Chester Pebble Beds. The Kinnerton Sandstones form the lower part of the Sherwood Sandstone Group, which were formley known as Bunter Sandstone. Succeeding the Kinnerton Sandstones are the Chester Pebble Beds, which a sandstone characterised by the presence of rounded quartzite pebbles of varying diameter ( 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 the Devensian and more recently by the sedimentation regimes of the River Dee. During the Devensian maximum ice sheets flowing from the mountains of Wales are estimated to have reached a thickness of c. 450m in the Chester area. The movement and thawing of these ice sheets deposited till, or boulder clay, with some glacial sand and gravel. These glacial deposits have been eroded by the changing course of the River Dee, which has scoured channels and deposited alluvial material. Changing sea levels during the Holocene period have resulted in these alluvial deposits containing material of a marine, estuarine and riverine nature (Harris and Thacker, 1987, 25).
2.5
2.5.1
Much of the City within the medieval walls was rebuilt or materially altered in the Victorian period, resulting in the characteristic black and white style, of which Penson, Lockwood and John Douglas were leading exponents. During the twentieth century, commercial activities, which had centred on the docks and canal diminished and finally ended in the 1960s with the closure of Connahs Quay. Rail traffic also declined leading to the closure in 1970 of both the Northgate and Liverpool Road stations, but road traffic increased materially leading to the construction of the Inner Ring Road, completed in 1972, which involved the loss of many important Georgian buildings. 2.5.2 Pre Roman No pre-Roman structures or features have been discovered within the Study Site although a small collection of worked cherts and flints of prehistoric date was recovered during the excavations carried out in 2000 (Matthews et al 2001, 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 cut into the surface of the natural clay. Paleobotanical analysis indicated a date in the 2nd/3rd century BC for this activity, which points to the existence of some form of minor settlement in the vicinity. Cultivation appears to have ceased been well before the advent of the Roman era with the land reverting to scrub and some degree of reafforestation (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 area lay 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 after the fortress around AD 75. Initially of timber, this was replaced by a much larger amphitheatre constructed of masonry c.AD 100. Like many other military buildings at Chester, this experienced a period of dereliction beginning around the middle of the 2nd century, which may have lasted for over a century. It was subsequently recommissioned and was used until at least the middle of the 4th century. To the north and north-east of the amphitheatre lay the civilian buildings of the extramural settlement or canabae legionis with accompanying backland areas used for semiindustrial activities such as metal-working and glass-making. It was commonplace for bath-buildings to be built adjacent to amphitheatres and there is slight evidence that such a facility was provided at Chester, sited to the south on a terrace beside the Dee. Occupation of the settlement may have declined sharply after c.AD 350.
10
Roman Chester In terms of the topography of Roman Chester the total Study Site comprises an area approximately 200 metres square stretching from the southeast angle of the legionary fortress down to the River Dee. It thus constitutes a significant proportion of the area immediately outside the defences, which was occupied by the extramural settlement or canabae legionis containing both military and civilian buildings and facilities. The Core Area of the Study Site contains the remains of both the southeast angle of the fortress as well as those of one of the largest extramural facilities the legionary amphitheatre (amphitheatrum or ludus). At least one other substantial Roman building - possibly a bath-building - lay south of the amphitheatre, seemingly sited on the lowest of a series of terraces immediately beside the Dee (Frere 1990, 329), while extensive traces of civilian buildings have been found in the areas to the north and north-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 extensive quarrying 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 for believing that the temporary accommodation for the construction party was provided in the form of a defended encampment situated immediately north and northeast of the amphitheatre site (Mason 1987, 145-6). Work on the construction of the first amphitheatre, built of timber, appears to have begun within a few years of the fortress foundation; perhaps an indication of the importance attached to it by the legionary command. This was replaced by a new and much larger amphitheatre constructed largely of masonry by c.AD 100 (Thompson 1976, 163-4). How long the timber amphitheatre remained in use before being demolished is uncertain but the absence of any major structural repairs or replacements within the sectors examined so far suggests it may have had a comparatively brief existence, possibly a decade or even less. In addition, some of the structural features associated with the stone amphitheatre could be interpreted as evidence for an unfinished intermediate stage in which it was planned to rebuild the structure with dimensions little changed from those 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 programme of reconstruction which saw the addition of a masonry revetment to the front of the original turf and timber rampart of the fortress along with the replacement of its
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 11 Donald Insall Associates
wooden towers and gates by stone successors (LeQuesne 1999, 138-45). Now, if not before, a road ran from the vicinity of the north entrance of the amphitheatre to connect 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 operations along the river cliff south of the amphitheatre. The civil settlement beside the fortress expanded rapidly in its first few decades of existence. This appears to have been particularly true in the eastern sector of the canabae legionis with the consequence that by AD 120 side streets lined with buildings were laid out south of what is now Foregate Street reaching almost as far as the north eastern tip of the secondary area of the Study Site. This may have continued to approach even closer to the amphitheatre in later periods but a lack of excavation in the relevant areas means this cannot be confirmed. There was also growth of the suburb south of the fortress in this 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 of lapsed maintenance. This was also true of the amphitheatre where a substantial layer of naturally deposited humic material supplemented by refuse deposits was allowed to 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 place during 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 reexamination of the stratigraphical sequence on other sites suggests that this may in fact be due to misinterpretation of the evidence with an early third century refurbishment 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 fourth century (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 around AD 360 (Shotter 2000, 45) and other evidence suggests a shrinkage of the extramural settlement around the same time (Mason 1987, 162) then it probably ceased to be maintained as a functioning amphitheatre well before the end of the fourth century.
12
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
13
2.5.4
Sub Roman/Anglo Saxon/Viking Nothing is known of activity in this area in the early part of this general period. The Church of St. John the Baptist was held by medieval chroniclers to have been established in AD 689 but this is uncorroborated by independent evidence. The church certainly developed into a major institution by the tenth century and controlled much of the land around it. It was the setting for a great ceremony in 973 when British and Norse rulers paid homage to King Eadgar. The greatest phase of building occurred soon after the Norman Conquest when for a brief period St. Johns became the main cathedral church of the Bishop of Lichfield. The decaying structure of the amphitheatre was probably denuded of its masonry for successive enlargements of the prospering St. Johns and for the construction of a monastery of St. Mary which existed somewhere in the immediate vicinity. The riverfront to the south may well have 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-Norse settlers and traders. The precise date of the extension of the defences down to the river 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 been established at the beginning of the tenth century when Chester was refortified as a burh by Queen Aethelflaed of Mercia. As with the rest of the city nothing is known about occupation or activity in this part of Chester in the immediate post-Roman period. The holding of a synod of British bishops in Civitas Legionum c.AD 603, suggests Chester was still a place of some importance but the nature and extent of the settlement of this period have yet to be elucidated (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 (Harris 1980, 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 rights outside the defences, and benefited from both royal and aristocratic patronage. In the late Saxon period this part of the city was designated the manor of Redcliff, a name derived 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 at St. Johns but also by a school of sculptors producing crosses and burial slabs in the 9th and 10th centuries (Bu`Lock 1972, 81-4). The crumbling masonry of the amphitheatre was very likely another source of stone for the successive phases of the enlargement 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 period being based on the road around the perimeter of the amphitheatre - St. Johns Lane/Little St Johns Lane - with another running northwards parallel with and just outside the defences up to Foregate Street known as Ironmongers Street, now St John Street (Dodgson 1968, 47). In 973 the church was the setting for a great ceremony in which eleven British and Norse kings and sub-kings pledged allegiance to Eadgar I, having first acting as rowers of the barge which brought him from the royal residence at Aldford (AngloSaxon Chronicle sub anno 973; Florence of Worcester, Chronicon ex Chronicis, ed B. Thorpe, 142-3). Shortly before the Norman Conquest Leofric Earl of Mercia paid for 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 years later (Pevsner & Hubbard 1971, 148). Domesday records the existence of a monastery of St. Mary in Redcliff but its exact position remains unknown (Morgan 1978 B11). By 1377 the dedication had been absorbed by an altar-chapel in St. Johns (Dodgson 1981, 83).
14
The City wall defines the western boundary of the Study Site. The precise date when the line of the Roman fortress defences was extended to follow the course taken by the present city wall is unknown although both place- and street-name evidence (Dodgson 1968, 52-4) and information about the defences contained in the Domesday account of Chester (Mason 1985, 36-9) suggest this had already occurred by the time of the Norman Conquest. Indeed, this line may well have been established when Chester was refortified by Aethelflaede, Queen of Mercia, in AD 907 and added to the chain of strongholds known as burhs designed to contain Viking expansion. The first documentary reference to a gate near the southeast angle of the fortress occurs c.1258 when it was called the Wolfeld Gate, a term possibly derived from the Old English womans name Wulfhild (Dodgson 1981, 26). Replaced by the first Newgate in 1552/3, this may have stood on the site of an even earlier gate provided originally to allow easy access between the City and St. Johns. The medieval leather-working industries, which occupied much of the waterfront from 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 Lower Bridge Street area and other major commercial and industrial activities are likely to have been established early on in this part of the city as it was the preferred or designated location for settlers and traders of Hiberno-Scandinavian origin engaged in commerce across the Irish Sea (BuLock 1972, 58-70; Mason 1980, 8-39). The north-south Souters Lane/St John Street route became the dominant thoroughfare in this area and remained so until the 19th Century. 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 collegiate establishment in 1057 by Leofric, Earl of Mercia. In 1075 it became a cathedral when Bishop Peter of Lichfield moved his see to Chester, and started on the creation of his cathedral church, a task that was interrupted by the transfer of the see to Coventry by Bishop Robert de Limesey in c.1102 (Richards 1973, 103-4). The work completed during this phase of construction comprised the lower nave walls, the arch over the crossing, the two transepts, and the arches from the present sanctuary to the now ruined chancel. Work resumed in the late twelfth century with the building of the 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 to have 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 on the north eastern pillar of the nave. Little St John Street and Souters Lane are both first recorded in 1274, and it is likely that they followed Roman streets, which took account of the location of the amphitheatre. Vicars Lane, referring to the vicarage of St Johns, also appears to have 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 of the Church cathedral-like, [Cooper Scott, 1892, 20], and shows St Johns and its curtilage in c.1468.
15
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 and west, and also had various additional chapels, no longer extant, as well as the separate chapels of St Ann, to the east, and St James, to the immediate south. Also shown to the west are the Deans House and the Bishops House, the latter standing on the approximate site of St Johns Cottage. In 1468 the central spire collapsed, causing extensive 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 to the 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, at which time it comprised a dean and seven prebends. In 1547 Edward VIs commissioners removed the lead roofing, precipitating the decay of the fabric. In 1572 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 the creation of the east wall. A plan of St Johns and its surroundings taken from two plans in the British Museum, 1589 (Cooper Scott, 1892, 56) shows the extent to which it had shrunk over the ensuing 120 years, assuming the present proportions.
16
Plan of the church and its surroundings, 1589 The key to the plan provides information on how St Johns may have looked in the late sixteenth century. The tower, which collapsed in 1572-4 (K), is described as undergoing reconstruction, and at the eastern end of the now truncated church was a very 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 the early church (M) to the east of the newly built wall was ruinated, and is a garden or yard to keep timber therein, but the chapels to the east (O, P, Q) appear to have been in 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 garden belonging to the Churchyard in the occupation of some cloth workers; Cooper Scott notes 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 the Weavers 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 the southeast, and a building to the northeast, which is probably Cholmondeley Hall, built by Hugh Cholmondeley, one of Henry VIIIs commissioners responsible for the dissolution of St Johns College. Cholmondeley Hall, which was built on the site of St 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 as Speeds of 1610, in that it does not show Dee Lane (now Souter's Lane), but instead shows St Johns as being surrounded on three sides by houses. There are other topographical inconsistencies, which suggest that the plan cannot be taken as an entirely reliable document.
17
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 (now Souters 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 fronting Dee Lane to the south of the Dee House site; this may account for the substantial early-looking retaining wall on the east of Dee Lane. To the east of the Study Area are various buildings, presumably Cholmondeley Hall. The remainder of the site is almost undeveloped. During the Civil War the Royalist defenders of Chester built protective outworks from King Charless Tower east to the River Dee at Boughton. On 20th September 1645 a Parliamentary assault party took the Small Mount at Boughton, opened the turnpike gates and, with reinforcements, drove the defenders back to within the City Walls. St Johns, with its tower as an observation post, was turned into a Parliamentary stronghold with a battery being built in the churchyard to the north. It was from this battery that a breach was made in the City Walls near the Newgate, and the gun was subsequently moved to the Bowling Green, where it inflicted damage to Barnabys Tower.
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 18 Donald Insall Associates
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) is shown with trees, not apparently formally planted as with The Groves. Dee House, and the building, which preceded the Bishops Palace, is clearly identified, and the area appears to have been popular for leisure and entertainment, with the Lower Bowling Green and Dee Side Walks being shown. An unidentified house is shown to the 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 chapel wing. No archaeological evidence has been found to support this and Edmund Kirbys detailed building specification for the chapel makes no mention of site clearance. The outbuildings along Souters Lane are clearly shown, suggesting that the present, probably late nineteenth century range, replaced this earlier range. The plan does not show any buildings along Church Lane, but this may not be conclusive 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 eighteenth century (Chester Official Guide Book, 21), and was thus presumably an undeveloped space. Hunters plan of Chester (1789) shows Dee House, the 1750 Bishops Palace, St Johns Cottage, the unidentified house, and St Johns House, all with extensive gardens. There is also limited development on the northern end of the present Roman
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 19 Donald Insall Associates
Garden, an unidentified building on The Groves, adjacent to the Anchorites Cell, and a 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 service range is shown along Souters Lane. At some date in the eighteenth century, a house known as The Priory was erected in the eastern ruins of St Johns. It was built by Sir Robert Cotton and occupied by Earl Grosvenor during his mayoralty in 1807-8. Prior to that it had been the residence of Thomas 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 following Hunters plan, but by 1853 the house on The Groves appears to have been demolished and two small buildings have been erected on the site of the present Old Orleans Public House.
20
Thomas, 1853 Geestys plan (1870) shows Grosvenor Park, and the house to the east of St Johns appears to have been demolished during the laying out of the park. The Ordnance Survey, first edition 1874, does not record the unidentified house to the south 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 are shown 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.
21
Grosvenor Park, on land donated by 2nd Marquis of Westminster, was designed by Paxtons pupil, Edward Kemp in 1865-7. John Douglas was responsible for the entrance lodge, and a structure known as Billy Hobbys Well (listed Grade II), and there are various other listed medieval structures relocated in the Park. Although not included in the Study Site, Grosvenor Park is an important element because of its open leafy character. St Johns was restored in 1859-66 by R C Hussey. The east window, 1863, by T M Penson, depicts the marriage in Cana of Galilee, and commemorates the marriage of the Prince of Wales; the west window, 1887-90, by E Frampton, covers incidents in the churchs history and its association with Chester. In 1881, the upper part of the northwest tower collapsed, destroying the north porch. John Douglas rebuilt this in 1882, who was also the architect for the bell tower (1886-7) and for the rebuilding of the north aisle (1887). St Johns churchyard ceased to be used for burials in 1875, and the faculty for its levelling 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 the churchyard was demised to Chester Corporation, and in 1955 the Corporation became guardians 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 the present Old Orleans Public House site has been further developed, and the area immediately to the north has been laid out as a bowling green, although not specifically 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 public bath was moored in the River Dee. The Bath, filled with river water, was open in the summer only, from 6 am to 9 pm. It closed when the new City Baths opened in 1910.
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 22 Donald Insall Associates
Boating was also popular at the turn of the century, and the annual Chester Regatta was 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 a widened Little St Johns Street through a new Newgate, to be built immediately to the south of the 1760 Newgate (now known as Wolfs Gate). In 1929, during the course of building the foundations for an extension to Dee House, the existence of the Roman Amphitheatre was established. A small-scale excavation in 1930-1 of areas in the northern half of the site enabled the general plan and dimensions of the structure to be calculated, and this showed that the proposed extension of Vicars Lane would cut through the archaeological site. There was considerable local opposition to the new road scheme, and in 1932 the Chester Archaeological Society launched a national appeal for funds, which rose sufficient to purchase the large eighteenth century St Johns House in 1934.
Rear elevation
The demolition of St Johns House was completed in 1958 (Thompson, 1976, 131), to be followed by limited excavation work, and culminating in the detailed archaeological excavation of the northern half of the amphitheatre in 1965-9. The exposed structures were then laid out as an ancient monument, being opened to the public in 1972. The present wall, which terminates the exposed amphitheatre, was erected after the completion of the excavations. Although the 1920s road scheme did not proceed, the Newgate was built, being completed in 1938. This scheme retained the old Newgate (Wolfs Gate), which became the entrance to the small park in which the remains of the Roman South-East Angle Tower are displayed.
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 23 Donald Insall Associates
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 executed 2000-01. The official opening is scheduled for the summer of 2001. Donations towards the cost of the gardens were received from the estate of Sally, late Duchess of Westminster, and from the Bank of Scotland. The design retained the existing reconstructed hypocaust and line of the path in the upper part, however everything else is newly laid out and incorporates areas where new 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. This theme is continued in the lower part of the garden where the juxtaposition of the straight route and the curving path recalls in plan the medical symbol of the snake and staff. 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 with this in mind. A clay pipe kiln (extant 1781 through to the nineteenth century) in the upper part of the garden was to have been excavated, but there are no plans to proceed with this so it 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 site of a Bowling Green and former boatyard. It is also thought to be the site of a Roman quarry. 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,
24
described as sheds, are believed to have been connected with the boat business mentioned above. The Youth Information Centre on the southeastern corner of Souters Lane was built in c.1994, on a site previously occupied by Bethells Boats Limited and the Halt a While Cafe. Following the closure of the Ursuline Convent School, Dee House was acquired by British Telecom and used as offices. In 1993, Dee House was purchased by David McLean Developments, PLC/Limited, the eighteenth century block, with its chapel wing and early twentieth century neo-Georgian wing being sold to Chester City Council. In 1995 the southern 1929 wing was demolished, to be replaced by a new County Court on which construction work began in January 2000, with an anticipated opening date of May 2001.
2.6
2.6.1
2.6.2
The Later 19th and 20th Century The Society rapidly built up collections of Roman and later artefacts while accounts of discoveries were regularly reported in its Journal. The Roman material was greatly enhanced in the early 1890s by the large number of inscribed and sculptured stones retrieved during investigation of the North Wall of the City. These were installed in the recently constructed Grosvenor Museum, founded by the Archaeological and Natural Science Societies with the aid of the Duke of Westminster. Although the Museum passed into the control of the City Corporation in 1915 all archaeological excavation and research continued to be undertaken by the Archaeological Society, most notably by the Honorary Curator of its collections, Professor Robert Newstead, who directed most of the excavations undertaken in the first half of the twentieth century. These included the exposure of the southeast angle-tower of the fortress in 1930 and the definition of the outline of the northern half of the amphitheatre - 1930-31 and 1934 - following its discovery in 1929 by another prominent Society member W J Williams. The Society purchased much of the northern half of the amphitheatre site with the proceeds of a public appeal thus securing 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.
25
After the Second World War, and Newstead`s death in 1947, the City Council appointed the first full-time Curator and for the next twenty-five years the holders of this post directed excavations in the City, often staffed with volunteers from the Society. Perfectly adequate for small-scale research excavations, this arrangement was totally incapable of dealing with the enormous scale of redevelopment that affected the City in the 1960s. In the early part of that decade losses included about 50% of the remaining part of the fortress baths with its intact hypocausts and mosaic floors, circumstances allowing only the bare minimum of recording, along with the north-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 greater resources were made available when major redevelopment took place in the city centre in the later 1960s (involving the erection of the Gateway Theatre, New Market Hall and the Forum offices, although this did not prevent the complete destruction of another well-preserved bath-house and the Elliptical Building, a structure unique in the Roman World. The creation by the City Council of a permanent Excavations Unit in 1972 (now Chester Archaeology) improved the situation further enabling the incorporation of archaeological considerations into development planning at an early stage. Numerous excavations carried out since then have added greatly to knowledge of both the legionary fortress and the town-sized settlement, which grew up around it.
2.7
2.7.1
This analysis examines both core and secondary areas to the same level of detail to give a general overview of the area as whole. Those topics above marked * within core area are dealt with in greater depth in paragraphs 2.11 to 2.17.
26
2.8
2.8.1
KEY
The Secondary area zones: A: Amphitheatre F: The Old Bishops Palace and St Johns B: Little St Johns Street/Vicars Lane Cottage
The Core area zones: C: Dee House D: The new County Courts E: The Roman Gardens G: The Groves H: St John the Baptist Church and the Hermitage (Anchorite cell)
27
2.8.2
KEY
1 : Amphitheatre 2 : Dee House 3 : Dee House Ancillary Buildings 4 : New County Court 5 : The Old Bishops Palace 6 : St Johns Cottage 7 : The Hermitage 8 : Church of St John the Baptist 9 : The City Walls 10: The Newgate and Wolf gate 11: The Roman south east angle tower 12: Old Orleans public house 13: Shop/ Information centre 14: Public Conveniences 15: Roman Gardens 16: The Groves 17: Bowling Green 18: Former Churchyard St John the Baptist 19: Former Churchyard St John the Baptist
28
2.8.3
KEY
29
2.9
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 first century, and remaining in use until c.350. The structure was oval in shape, measuring some 90m by 105m, of which just under half of the northern section has been excavated and presented for public display as a monument. The remainder lies under the 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. It is also used for occasional public entertainment events. e) Ownership and management The land is in the guardianship of English Heritage and an agreement is in operation with the Chester City Council, which is responsible for day to day management and maintenance. No charges are made for public admission. Occasional free public entertainment events are organised by the City Council. In 1999 a major open-air concert event was arranged by the Chester in Concert group. The logistics of this event 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 perimeter seating laid out in grass surrounding the sunken amphitheatre space, which is surfaced in gravel. The site is enclosed by a 1m high railing separating it from the surrounding 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 is in exposed aggregate concrete panels and the upper section in brickwork. This wall is a most dominating feature in the urban landscape and bears no relationship to the
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 30 Donald Insall Associates
form or history of the amphitheatre or the surrounding urban grain. The space is best appreciated 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 the amphitheatre 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 approximates to 41% of the entire monument. Discovered during building works at the rear of Dee House in 1929 (Williams 1929, 218-9; Lawson 1932, 66-8) its outline was established 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 half carried out in the years 1960-69 by the Ministry of Public Building & Works (Thompson 1976). The following three years were taken up with consolidation of the exposed masonry and presentation works. The sunken arena and its perimeter wall constitute the main focus for the visitor along with the north entrance (porta Pompei) and the east entrance (porta postica). The approximate positions of the outer wall and the minor entrances are delineated in the surface of the grassed area of the seating-bank (cavea) by concrete markers. Investigations were conducted in 2000 to determine if the 1960s excavation had left any archaeological deposits intact within the compass of the displayed portion of the monument (Matthews et al. 2000). These demonstrated that whereas only a few truncated features survive beneath the gravel surfacing 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, a mid-eighteenth century mansion with gardens adjoining those of Dee House, was demolished 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 the west and east extremities of the site. From those points movement through the site is over the grassed perimeter and down timber staircases to the lower gravel area. No special provisions are made for those with disabilities. Interpretation for visitors: Information is limited to one descriptive panel and nameplates on individual features.
31
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 the first 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 of John Douglas. Listed Grade II. A row of seven almshouse for retired clergy, and one of the few surviving examples in Chester. The gables incorporate patterned terra 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 Michael Tapper. 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 the city centre network providing local access. The buildings are all in uses as indicated above.
32
e) Ownership and management Highways and public realm are the responsibility of Chester County Council. The Wolf Gate and Newgate and adjacent gardens and the Chester Visitor Centre are in the 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 narrow Newgate archways beneath the town walls and then loops around the north of the amphitheatre site to continue eastwards as Vicars Lane. Immediately to the north of the Newgate is a small landscaped garden in which are displayed the excavated remains of a corner of the original Roman fortress wall. Beyond, the streetscape is enclosed 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 positive contribution to the corner with St. John Street. On the opposite corner is the telephone exchange a four storey brick building in a plain and uninspired neo Georgian 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 and dominates the principal space of the core study area to the south. Beyond, on the same building line is a terrace of attractive 19th century alms houses. Projecting forward 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 of unenclosed public realm landscaping (formerly churchyard) laid out and maintained to 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 well maintained. h) Archaeology These two thoroughfares perpetuate the line of the Roman road, which ran around the northern perimeter of, and constituted the principal approach to, the amphitheatre. Other roads linking with it gave access to that part of the civilian settlement bordering what is now Foregate Street, the latter following the line of the main road approaching the fortress east gate, while another almost certainly ran westwards immediately outside the south defences of the fortress on the line of modern Pepper Street. Deposits in this area could well contain debris from the collapsed/demolished superstructure of the amphitheatre providing evidence as to its external architectural form and decoration. Such an important structure would have had commemorative inscriptions on the exterior most likely set above the principal entrances and those from the north and entrances could well survive, albeit probably in fragmentary form, somewhere within this corridor. The deposits in this area might also contain evidence as to developments at the amphitheatre in the sub-Roman period as well as the remains of buildings and associated features lining the street frontages in the late Saxon, medieval and post-medieval periods. At the northwestern extremity of this Zone lie the displayed remains of the southeast angle-tower of the legionary fortress defences probably constructed c.AD 100 along with adjacent short sections of the curtain wall. The site also contains a length of the fortress ditch and traces of the original turf and timber rampart of c.AD 75. The adjacent section of the city wall incorporates the Wolf Gate of 1768, which was a rebuilding of an earlier gate constructed in 1608-13. In front of this, to the east, lie the foundations of an even earlier gate of medieval date.
33
Southeast Angle Tower viewed from City Walls Later buildings now demolished include: the demolished houses in Little St John Lane, both adjacent to St Johns House and on the Telephone Exchange site. i) Access/Interpretation/visitor facilities (for further detail see 2.13) The zone contains the Chester Visitor Centre
34
Dee House, c.1900 wing c) Principal buildings/structures (for further detail see 2.12.1/2) Detached house dating to c.1730 with a three storey chapel wing of 1867-9 by Edmund Kirby, and a four bay neo-Georgian style wing to the west dating to c.1900. Listed Grade II. Ancillary service buildings, mainly nineteenth century running along the east side of Souters Lane. d) Uses Vacant building and landscaped grounds
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 35 Donald Insall Associates
e) Ownership and management Chester City Council. The site is closed to the public. f) Townscape/landscape The three storey main house comprises three elements. The original 18th century Georgian house is immediately adjoined by a c.1900 extension to the west in the same style and the 19th century chapel to the east in a restrained Victorian Gothic with lancet windows. Along the western boundary of the site to Souters Lane is a range of lower two storey pitched roofed ancillary buildings dating from the 19th century and 20th centuries. The House and ancillary buildings enclose and front onto a circular driveway with central landscape feature. To the east the grounds taper to a point between the high boundary wall with the amphitheatre and the timber palisade fencing to the site of the County Courts. All the grounds are overgrown and have been untended for many years with a self seeded under storey emerging below mature trees (see ecology report). Viewed externally the Dee House group contributes to the surrounding townscape as follows: Dee House provides a termination to the view down St John Street. The Ancillary buildings abut Souters Lane. They enclose and add to the character of this interesting sunken curving linear space leading down to the river. The mature trees provide a soft linking feature between the Dee House and the Church of St John.
g) Condition (for further detail see 2.12.3) The original house and the 19th century wing are in very poor condition and steps are currently being taken to prevent internal collapse. The Chapel wing and ancillary buildings appear in fair condition. h) Archaeology (for further detail see 2.12.1/2) Dee House and its grounds overlie almost the whole of the remainder (approximately 59%) of the amphitheatre arena along with c.25% of the seating-bank, the latter including the western porta postica and one of the minor entrances (vomitoria). No formal excavations have occurred in this Zone although small-scale evaluation trenches were dug within and outside Dee House in 1993. The overall depth of deposits in the area of the arena can be estimated as c.3.5 metres in the light of the 1960s excavations north of the modern retaining wall. The bulk of the infilling appears to have occurred in the 18th century. As part of landscaping works associated with the laying out of Dee House and its grounds but using material imported from other building sites in the city. There is a strong possibility of sub-Roman and/or mid/late Saxon deposits and features in the arena area associated with St. Johns. Cartographic sources indicate buildings along the western periphery of the Zone bordering Souters Lane in the 17th century and possibly earlier. Traces of these-for example the sandstone wall in the basement of the buildings at the entrance to Dee House- may remain below the present structures. The area behind them might contain contemporary archaeological deposits such as refuse pits. The sandstone retaining wall along the east side of Souters Lane follows the line of the western precinct wall of St Johns and might contain elements of medieval masonry. Later demolished structures formerly on the site include: The Extension to Dee House dating to 1929, the extensive greenhouses to the east (OS first through third editions) i) Access/Interpretation/visitor facilities* Access: Vehicular and pedestrian access to the grounds and buildings of Dee House are approached through a gated entrance immediately to the west of the amphitheatre.
36
New County Court c) Principal buildings/structures* New County Court built 1999-2001. d) Uses Currently building under completion. Proposed use as County Courts e) Ownership and management David McLean Developments have the freehold of the site but a 150 year leasehold interest has now been disposed to a property investment company. The Department for the Environment on behalf of the Lord Chancellors office have a 25 year tenancy agreement to occupy the new building. As part of the leasehold and tenancy agreements David McLean Developments are able to secure at any time a right to access through the new developments car park to provide a service entrance to the rear of the Dee House site. No other party could invoke this right of access and it is not part of any planning or legal agreement with the City Council (see also 2.14 for recent planning history/developer interest in the Core Area). f) Townscape/landscape The new 5 storey building is set back on its site with the frontage area being laid out for parking. The new structure has a limited impact on the wider area. To the north it is screened by Dee House and to the south by the Old Bishops Palace. Souters Lane is set down well below the level of the site and its retaining wall adds to the Lanes character.
37
g) Condition The building and landscaping is new and constructed of high quality materials. h) Archaeology (for further detail see 2.11) This building stands on the site of the extension to Dee House constructed in 1930. It was the preparatory groundworks for the latter that led to the discovery of the amphitheatre the previous year. More specifically, it was a short section of the outer wall that was exposed and re-examination of the spot in connection with the construction of the new building had shown that its remains were almost entirely removed. The car park to accompany the new County Court overlies a large section of the seating-bank (cavea) of the amphitheatre and includes the principal entrance into the arena (porta pompaei) at the south end of the long axis as well as one of the minor entrances (vomitoria) giving access to the cavea alone. It also includes a tiny section of the arena at the inner end of the main entrance. Explorations in recent years have demonstrated the presence of an average of 3 metres of archaeological deposits in this area. These explorations have been of a small-scale and evaluatory nature designed to detect the presence and general character of archaeological deposits rather than investigating them. A similar depth of deposits is known to exist to the south beyond the curtilage of the amphitheatre although this increases to more than 4.6 metres towards the southern boundary of the Zone possibly as a consequence of artificial terracing of the slope down to the river initiated in the Roman period. The continuation of the north-south axial drain crossing the arena was located in 2000 and the area is known to contain a general spread of Roman stratigraphy with an average depth of 1 metre rich in faunal remains. Traces of structures were found on the lower terrace in 1993. The whole of this Zone has a high potential in terms of mid/late Saxon activity associated with St. Johns potentially including the stonemasons workshop producing crosses and grave slabs in the 9th and 10th centurys. Evaluation excavations in 1994 encountered deposits containing examples of stone blocks with medieval carving, possibly originating from the bell tower at the west end of St. Johns which collapsed in 1881 (Cleary et al. 1994, 15), while excavations in 2000 in advance of the construction of the new County Court encountered a number of medieval burials demonstrating that St. Johns graveyard extended as far west as Souters Lane (pers. comm. Tim Strickland). A possible gatehouse fronting on to Souters Lane giving access to a walled approach to St Johns appears on several 17th century maps of the area, traces of which might survive along the west side of this Zone. i) Access/Interpretation/visitor facilities* Access: Vehicular and pedestrian entrance is from the access road off Little St John Street. Interpretation: There are no interpretation facilities at present, however, as a condition of the planning approval the outline of the main walls of the unexcavated amphitheatre below are reflected in the car park design.
38
Roman gardens
Roman Gardens and new County Court c) Principal buildings/structures Gardens laid out in 1949 incorporating a collection of Roman stonework from other excavation sites in Chester. The Roman Gardens were redesigned and relaid in 2000-01. The boundary and building retaining walls and rock cutting which form the eastern boundary to Souters lane. d) Uses Public gardens and public highway.
39
e) Ownership and management Chester City Council own and maintain the gardens and Chester County Council is responsible for Souters Lane as Highway Authority. f) Townscape/landscape The principal feature and point of interest of Roman gardens are its lines of columns and other building elements relocated to the site from archaeological excavations in Chester. The gardens have recently been extended and redesigned. A central pathway, colonnade, cypress trees, terraces and Roman foundation reconstructions invoke the theme of partly restored Roman gardens and villas. Some details of the new enhancements, e.g. the polished granite seats and the concrete steps, tend to appear out of character. The gardens are enclosed to the west by the City Walls and to the east by dense landscaping and trees. At the lower level the gardens terminate at the rear of the car park of the Old Orleans public house with no boundary structures. The gardens make an important contribution to the wider townscape. They provide: Lineal green space between the city centre and the river. Add to the variety and sequence of scenes viewed from the town walls. Visible evidence of Roman Chester. An enclosure to Souters Lane.
g) Condition The recently formed gardens are well maintained. h) Archaeology The Roman Gardens, recently the subject of a scheme of re-display, contain a collection of architectural stonework derived from various buildings inside the Roman legionary fortress, most notably the main baths and the headquarters building but also including items retrieved from the interior of the North Wall. The Chester Archaeological Society assembled the bulk of the collection during the period c.1850 c. 1900. A reconstructed hypocaust in the Garden uses materials recovered from the fortress baths in 1863 and most of the better preserved examples of columns were salvaged on the same occasion. The southern end of the site appears to have been used for quarrying in the Roman period and Roman deposits of an indeterminate nature occur generally in the area (Connelly 1999). This was the location of the citys cockpit in the 18th century. The north end of the Garden occupies the former site of a clay tobacco pipe factory active in the 19th century. The area also contains the site of demolished houses, including a tavern, to the south of the Newgate. i) Access/interpretation/visitor facilities Access: The gardens are accessed from Little St John Street and The Groves. There are also steps, which descend from the City Walls. They provide a pedestrian route from the city centre down to the riverside esplanade. Pathways descend through by terraced walks and steps. Interpretation: Interpretative material has yet to be installed as part of the enhancement scheme. It is certainly required because visitors could be confused as to whether the parts of the site are actual in situ Roman remains.
40
Former Bishops Palace from the City Walls c) Principal buildings/structures The Bishops Palace was built in c1750 for Bishop Peploe on the site of the medieval house of the Archdeacons of Chester. The canted entrance bay and the portion to the west are later eighteenth century (Pevsner & Hubbard, 1971, 166). Behind is a room with exuberant eighteenth century stucco. Listed Grade II*. St Johns Cottage; Map evidence and appearance suggest this building dates from the eighteenth century. Listed Grade II.
41
d) Uses Old Bishops Palace is now private offices and associated parking and St Johns Cottage is a private house. e) Ownership and management Private f) Townscape/landscape This fine Georgian house and later extension in similar style is enclosed by high boundary walls The house itself is largely hidden from close view but is prominent in vistas from the south of the river Dee. It is also a feature of the skyline looking north from The Groves. The sites boundaries are important in defining surrounding spaces. The walls, railings and cliff/embankment are a feature of the sunken Souters Lane where it emerges onto The Groves. The brick boundary walls to the south and east provide a backdrop to the riverside esplanade and enclose the narrow pedestrian lane leading up to St Johns. g) Condition The house and its boundaries all appear in good condition. A detracting feature of note is the crude barbed wire security feature above parts of the enclosing brick walls. h) Archaeology This encompasses much of the area lying south of the amphitheatre which slopes down to The Groves beside the Dee and which is known to have been artificially terraced from the Roman period. Slight evidence of Roman structures was found immediately to the north in Zone D and these may have extended into this area along with the continuation of the amphitheatre drainage system. This Zone is known to have been the site of various ecclesiastical buildings associated with St. Johns including (beneath the present Old Bishops Palace) the Archdeacons House, the Deans House, and the Bishops Residence, the last thought to have stood on the spot now occupied by St Johns Cottage. The graveyard of St Johns is known to have extended as far as this property as several medieval burials were found beneath it some years ago. i) Access/interpretation/visitor facilities Access: Vehicular and pedestrian entrance is from the access road off Little St John Street. A pedestrian gateway from the Old Bishops Palace exists onto The Groves but this is permanently locked. There are no visitor interpretation facilities in this zone.
42
The Groves
Bandstand on the groves c) Principal buildings/structures The Old Orleans Public House, 1982 with extension in 1993 Youth Information Centre/ Shop, c.1994. The Public Conveniences built in 1925 by Chester City Council The Bandstand, late nineteenth century. Listed Grade II. d) Uses Riverside walkway esplanade, public parking and seating areas, buildings and structures supporting leisure and tourism uses: The Old Orleans public House, Youth Information Centre/ Shop, public toilets, bandstand and landing stages for pleasure boats.
43
e) Ownership and management Adopted public highways: Chester City Council. Areas of pedestrian pavings (block, stone and gravel): uncertain Chester City/County Old Orleans public house: Private Youth Information Centre: Chester City Council Shop: Private Toilets: Chester City Council Bandstand: Chester City Council f) Townscape/landscape The tree lined riverside esplanade is Chesters principle frontage and linkage with the River Dee. It provides a generally high quality landscape of diverse interest and variety of scene. The 1980s public house and 1990s Information Centre lack architectural sophistication, but are soundly constructed are important visitor facilities. The Victorian bandstand and 1920s public conveniences are typical of their period and add to the quality and character of the area. g) Condition All buildings and structures are generally in good condition. The public realm is generally in good condition but the gravelled pedestrian surfaces are worn and require maintenance. i) Archaeology The sloping ground south of the amphitheatre seems likely to have been terraced in the Roman period. Mechanical sounding at a spot in the south-east corner of the carpark below the Old Bishops Palace in 1989 located a very substantial concrete structure of Roman date at a depth of c.3 metres. This suggests the possibility of major building - most probably a bathhouse, often found in association with amphitheatres - positioned on the lowest terrace beside and overlooking the river. There is also a strong possibility of Roman quays and jetties along the riverbank here as well as similar structures of late Saxon date belonging to St. Johns. The river journey to St. Johns by King Eadgar and his retinue in 973 should be borne in mind on this point. The growth of a sizeable Norse-Irish mercantile trading community at the south end the city in the 10th century also suggests intense activity along the riverbank. Similarly, Souters lane derives its name from a Middle English term for a shoemaker and it may be that, like other stretches of the river frontage further west, leather working was concentrated here in the late Saxon/early medieval period. Later buildings and spaces now removed include: the buildings formerly on the site of the Old Orleans Public House, including the Causeway Tavern, the building to the south of the Anchorites Cell (see Hunter 1789 plan), the Bowling Green (now the Old Orleans car park) j) Access/Interpretation/visitor facilities Access: The vehicular access and servicing to the area is by way of Souters Lane. This leads to a short section of roadway and public parking spaces opposite the Old Orleans public House. Pedestrian access from the city centre is from the City Walls, the Roman Garden, Souters Lane and the pedestrian lanes leading from St Johns. The suspension bridge provides a pedestrian route from the south side of the river. Visitor facilities: The Groves esplanade is a major visitor destination with pleasure boat hire and cruises up the river, summer band concerts, riverside walkways and a public house.
44
Zone H: The Church of St John The Baptist/ The Hermitage (Anchorite Cell)
a) Location/Extent of the Zone The church of St John the Baptist and the grounds to the south including the site of the bowling green. The Hermitage and the pedestrian lanes to the west and east. b) Photographs
The Hermitage
St Johns Church, ruined chancel c) Principal buildings/structures The Church of St John the Baptist, founded in 689, and the see of Bishop Peter from 1075 to 1095. The present church is considerably smaller than the Norman and medieval church. St Johns was restored in 1859-64, and the bell tower dates from 1887. Listed Grade I, with the ruined east and west ends being Scheduled Ancient Monuments.
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 45 Donald Insall Associates
The Hermitage dates from the fourteenth century, with restorations in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Listed Grade II*.
d) Uses Church and amenity landscaping. The Hermitage is used as a private house. e) Ownership and management St Johns Church - in the ownership of the Parish. The ruined tower and remains to the west and east of the Church and the lawns, walkways, retaining walls and bowling green to the south of the Church - are the responsibility of Chester City Council The Hermitage and surrounding garden is in private ownership. f) Townscape/landscape The Church is a major feature in the townscape of this part of Chester. The grassed lawns and mature trees, walkways and retaining walls to the south all provide a setting of considerable quality and an area of calm, which contrasts, with the bustle of the riverside esplanade. The Hermitage has a secluded wooded setting. g) Condition The principal buildings appear outwardly in reasonable condition. The Church and adjacent monuments are of soft sandstone, which is prone to delimination. h) Archaeology St Johns, reputed to have been founded in 689 by King Ethelred of Mercia, developed into one of Chesters two principal churches. It was already a sizeable establishment by the mid 10th century and was the scene for a special ceremony in 973 when King Eadgar received a pledge of allegiance by a number of British and Norse rulers. The pedestrian lane leading down to the river may perpetuate the line of an ancient route leading down to a landing stage on the riverbank. The church underwent successive phases of expansion from the 11th to the 13th centuries. Elements at the east and west ends eventually collapsed but most still survive in a ruined state. Some elements, such as the Chapel of St James and the southwest tower, have completely disappeared although a resistivity survey carried out south of the church in 1993 suggests their foundations remain intact. There was also a monastery of St. Mary in the vicinity but this has long since disappeared and its precise site is unknown. The present church represents merely the core of what was once a much larger complex and the foundations of the `lost` portions lie beneath the surrounding grounds. Extensive graveyards surround the church. There was an accomplished school of stonemasons here from at least the mid-9th century. And examples of crosses and grave-slabs of the pre-Viking and Viking periods can be seen in the church. Much stone for the successive phases of church buildings was probably obtained from the ruined amphitheatre. The rest was extracted from a new quarry located immediately to the south, cut into the river cliff. Now landscaped and used as a bowling green, the quarry fill could contain unfinished/abandoned examples of carving from the early phases of the churchs history along with other artefacts. In summary the areas archaeology will include: The Chapels of St Ann and St James The ruined east and west ends of St Johns Cholmondeley Hall The graveyard The quarry to the south of St Johns, adjacent to the Hermitage The Priory (home of Thomas de Quinceys mother, demolished late 19th century
46
i)
Access/Interpretation/visitor facilities* Access: Vehicular servicing to the church is from the roadway off Little St John Street. A pedestrian route runs to the east of the area from Vicars Street to The Groves and the suspension bridge leading to the south of the river. To the east of the area is a narrow pedestrian lane. Both have areas of interesting York stone and cobble surfacing. The lawns immediately to the south of the Church are open to the public. Walkways run above the retaining walls overlooking The Hermitage and Bowling Green but terminate in dead ends. Both the Bowling Green and The Hermitage are closed to the public. Interpretation: Information panels are located at the remains at the east end of St Johns Church and in the public gardens to the south overlooking The Hermitage. St Johns Church is open to visitors and has information leaflets. It contains items of considerable interest including stone crosses dating from the Viking/Anglo Saxon periods. These could all be better displayed and interpreted.
47
2.10 Current Planning Policies (core and secondary area) 2.11 Core Area: Archaeology (below ground and excavated)
2.11.1 Roman Amphitheatre: a) History and purpose The primary amphitheatre constructed of timber was erected soon after the foundation of the legionary fortress c.AD 75 and was replaced by a much larger structure built mostly of masonry by c.AD 100 (Thompson 1976, 134 & 163-4). Precisely how long the primary amphitheatre was used before being replaced is unknown but the fact that the extensive 1960s excavations did not produce any evidence for major repairs suggests it may have had a life of 10-15 years. The building of its stone successor has been associated with the replacement of the original garrison - Legio II Adiutrix Pia Fidelis - by Legio XX Valeria Victrix c.AD 90. Construction of the stone amphitheatre, which may have seen a number of changes to the design as work progressed (see below), appears to have been completed by the opening years of the 2nd century. Its greater size compared with its predecessor was due to the provision of a much larger seating-bank (cavea). Around AD 122 much of the Twentieth was transferred to the North to undertake the construction of Hadrians Wall and was subsequently also involved in the building of its successor the Antonine Wall. The absence of much of the legion during the middle decades of the 2nd century is reflected in the fortress at Chester where the maintenance of many buildings was abandoned leading to dereliction and decay in many cases. This state of affairs is reflected at the amphitheatre where a mixture of debris, refuse and naturally deposited material was allowed to accumulate over the arena floor (Thompson 1976, 182). The structure was refurbished in the 3rd century when a new floor was laid in the arena and rebuilding of elements of the superstructure effected. This episode has been dated to c.AD 270 but it would be more in keeping with what we know of the fortress and its facilities in general if this reconstruction took place several decades earlier. Pottery in layers associated with the collapse or destruction of the east entrance implies that the amphitheatre, or at least parts of it, were no longer in use by c.AD 350. A resurgence of interest in amphitheatres in recent years has given rise to a debate as to whether military amphitheatres served the same purpose as their civic counterparts. One school of thought sees them used as training-grounds for weapons practice and drilling in addition to their function as centres of entertainment (Collingwood & Richmond 1969, 117-18; Bomgardner 1993, 381), a theory based essentially on the comparatively larger size of the arena in military examples, whereas another doubts if they had any training function (Webster 1969, 201-2; Golvin 1988). The term amphitheatrum was used to describe a conventional amphitheatre while the amphitheatre-like structure used as a gladiatorial training school was known as a ludus, like the examples such as the ludus Matutinus in Rome. The close proximity of the amphitheatre to the legionary fortress and its provision soon after the fortress was established, a situation repeated at other sites, both highlight the importance, which the military attached to such structures. The amphitheatre was obviously regarded as an essential component of a legionary fortress in the same way as other extramural facilities such as the parade-ground (campus), the market, and the large bath building, which regularly occur at an early date beside legionary fortresses of the Imperial era. The small size of the cavea in the primary structure may have been due to having the structure up and running as soon as possible while the fact that its much larger counterpart in the later structure, estimated to have a capacity of 7-8,000 (Sunter 1976, 234), which could accommodate more than the entire legion suggests it
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 48 Donald Insall Associates
was intended to be used by both military and civilian sectors of Devas population. The probability is therefore that the amphitheatre was use for a variety of purposes encompassing military training, the observance of religious festivals, and pure entertainment. Activities would thus have included weapons and combat practice, the observance of special ceremonies and festivals such as the celebration of the emperors birthday, gladiatorial contests and unarmed combat, beast-hunts, grudge matches or duals, and shows (munera) which included performances by troupes of jugglers and acrobats. Amphitheatres could also be used as places of public execution. b) Original form and function The primary amphitheatre consisted of an arena measuring approximately 59.8 by 50.7 metres in size surrounded by a seating structure 6.7 metres deep giving overall dimensions of 73.2 by 64.1 metres. The 1960s excavations revealed the unusually well preserved remains of the base of the seating structure which consisted of an inner and outer line of beams laid in the ground connected by other beams laid radially at intervals of about 1.8 metres. The positions of many of the uprights which supported the superstructure and which were mortised into the ground beams were also located and found to be spaced at intervals also averaging 1.8 metres. The design might thus have been based on units of 6 Roman feet (using the pes Monetalis of 295mm). A reconstruction of the superstructure suggests a seating capacity of 2,500-3,000 (Sunter 1976, 222-230). When the primary structure was replaced by a stone successor the floor of the arena, which was slightly reduced in size, was lowered by c.1.5 metres, which provided material, which could be used to support the new seating arrangements. The wall around the arena varied from 0.6 to 1.1 metres in thickness and stood originally to a height of c.2.6 metres. The arena was apparently surfaced with paving and was provided with a covered drain following the long axis, which was linked, to a gutter at the foot of the arena wall. The 1960s excavations located the emplacements for a timber structure at the centre of the arena (Thompson 1976, 152-4). Considered Roman at the time more recent work has raised the possibility that this is sub-Roman or Saxon in date (Matthews et al. 2001, 52-3). In the stone building the overall depth of the encircling cavea was increased to 19 metres, including the outer wall, resulting in overall dimensions for the new structure of c. 97.0 by 86.2 metres. The outer wall was 2.7 metres thick with a basal course of massive blocks of sandstone set on a foundation of smaller blocks laid in courses and clay bonded. The wall featured buttresses on its outer face measuring 1.22 by 0.90 metres and spaced 3 metres apart centre to centre. Main entrances were provided on the long and short axes (porta pompae and porta posticae respectively) and two minor entrances (vomitoria) between these. The porta pompae were the main means of access to the arena and were closed at their inner ends, on the evidence of the excavated example, by iron gates. Steps also ran up at right angles to give access to a gangway immediately behind the arena wall parapet. The eastern porta postica provided entry to the arena by means of a small doorway in the arena wall while a staircase on each side of the entrance passage enabled access to the cavea and also to a special platform or tribunal over the entrance, which was reserved for the use of senior officers or dignitaries. Stone columns from this structure were retrieved from the entrance fill. The masonry of the staircases may be secondary (Matthews et al. 2001, 103). The eight minor entrances gave access to the cavea alone. Immediately west of the inner end of the north entrance was a small, almost square, chamber set within the body of the cavea. Measuring 3.6 by 4.2 metres internally this functioned as a Shrine of Nemesis, the Goddess of Fate and Revenge, as evidenced by an altar found within it bearing the dedication To the goddess Nemesis, Sextius Marcianus,
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 49 Donald Insall Associates
the centurion (set this up) as a result of a vision. Running concentrically with the outer wall and 2.1 metres in from it was another wall, the so-called concentric wall, about 2 metres wide. It was suggested this arrangement was devised in order to provide a vaulted support structure for the upper tiers of seating in the cavea (the lower resting on an earth bank or timber framework), the gap between the walls at ground level perhaps serving as a corridor connecting the twelve entrances. However, this would be a most unusual arrangement. The discovery of an earlier and unfinished side-wall immediately north of the east entrance indicates that changes were made to the design for the stone amphitheatre as its construction was proceeding and so, alternatively, it may be that the concentric wall began life as the intended outer wall of a smaller amphitheatre. It may be mere coincidence but a design on these lines would result in an amphitheatre with dimensions very similar to those of the legionary amphitheatre at Caerleon. c) Likely extent of existing remains The only portion of the remainder of the amphitheatre to have been fully excavated is the section of the outer wall found in 1929 on the site of the extension to Dee House (Williams 1929, 218-9; Lawson 1932, 66-8; Thompson 1976, 156-8). The top of the wall was encountered at a depth of about 1.5 metres and still retained the basal course of massive blocks. To quote Hugh Thompson this section of the outer wall ..was in fact better preserved than in any other subsequent exposures and suggests that the southern half of the amphitheatre may possibly stand to quite a height, where it has not been disturbed by the present Convent building (1976, 157). Re-examination of this spot prior to building works in 2000 showed that this particular stretch of the outer wall had been almost totally removed by the construction of the Dee House extension in 1930. Apart from the recording work carried out in 2000 in advance of the construction of the County Court, all other investigations on this part of the amphitheatre have been of an evaluatory nature concerned with identifying the existence of archaeological deposits and not their excavation. Nonetheless, these have produced some useful information with regard to the probable degree of preservation of the rest of the amphitheatre. The evaluation exercise conducted in 1993 included the excavation of trial-trenches in the cellarage beneath the central and western portions of Dee House (Buxton et al. 1993, Trenches 19 & 20, 99-106, figs. 31-34 & 55). These lay in the area of the cavea and although there had been severe truncation of archaeological deposits the basal elements of Roman features cut into the natural clay still survived. Neighbouring trenches (Nos. 24 & 25), situated against the exterior of the front wall of Dee House demonstrated the presence of in situ stratigraphy relating to the base of the seating-bank of a quality similar to that found across large areas of the northern half of the structure (Buxton et al 1993, 119-126, figs. 40-42 & 55). Similarly, in Trench 18, positioned immediately outside the central section of the south wall of Dee House, intact seating-bank material was again encountered along with part of the so-called concentric wall found by Thompson thus confirming the continuation of this feature into the southern half of the amphitheatre (Buxton et al. 1993, 95-8, figs. 29, 30 & 55). Trenches 21-23 were located in and beside the Chapel at the east end of Dee House. The foundations of the Chapel walls were set at 2 metres below ground level and artefacts from the surrounding fill demonstrated that, as on the northern part of the site, much of the arena fill was imported to the site in the 18th century. The depth of the Chapel foundations implies that the arena wall could be preserved to the same degree as in the northern part of the site (Buxton et al. 1993, 107-118, figs. 35-39 &
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 50 Donald Insall Associates
55). Trenches 27 and 28 were positioned immediately east of the projected position of the southern axial entrance and immediately south of the eastern axial entrance respectively. In both cases in situ Roman deposits were found at a depth of approximately 1 metre indicating a high level of preservation (Buxton et al. 1993, 129-36, figs. 44-5 & 55). Further evaluatory work was conducted in 1994 in the area of the car-park east of Dee House. The trenches were not excavated to a depth much beyond 1.20 metres but even so a definite rise in the stratigraphy was noted towards the north end of the area corresponding with the area of the seating-bank. In combination with the results of the 1993 evaluation trenches in neighbouring areas this suggests a good level of preservation of Roman deposits if not structures. It will be evident from the foregoing that it would be desirable to have further information about the extent and quality of the remains of the southern half of the amphitheatre. One possibility that might be considered is the undertaking of a ground penetrating radar survey of the land around Dee House, which should reveal the extent, and height of any surviving fabric of the monument. d) Display and Conservation works As the arena floor lies 4.2 metres below modern ground level an essential first step of the 1960s investigations was the construction of a retaining wall across the southern boundary of the area available in order both to secure the grounds of Dee House against collapse and also to permit the excavation of the maximum possible proportion of the remainder of the amphitheatre. This retaining wall is of massive dimensions being 82 metres long, 4.5 metres high, and 1.8 metres thick at the base. Finally, it was clad with aggregate panels and topped with a 2.7 metre high brick wall to replace one that was demolished to make way for the concrete retainer. The subsequent programme of excavation exposed the north and east entrances of the amphitheatre, the Shrine of Nemesis west of the former, along with approximately 40% of the arena wall amounting to c.150 linear metres of masonry. Apart from two short sections where it had been robbed down to its footings the latter survived to an average height of 2 metres with its facing intact and in a few places still stood close to its estimated original full height of 3.6 metres (Thompson 1976, Pls. XXVII a & b, XXXIX a & c). The sidewalls of the north entrance had been more severely affected by robbing but those of the east entrance still stood to a height of c. 3 metres (Thompson 1976, Pl. XLIXa and LIIa - d). Some sections of the arena wall were found to have subsided inwards towards the arena requiring stabilisation and returning to a vertical position. The remedial method chosen is described in an Appendix to the excavation report by O J Weaver (Thompson 1976, 236-9). Before general excavation of the lowest part of the arena fill a trench was cut in front of the wall and the masonry secured by propping. Another trench was then cut behind the wall and one course of masonry at the base removed temporarily to allow freedom of movement. The wall was then scaffolded front and back and a system of screw jacks deployed which, worked slowly and simultaneously, returned the tilting masonry to a vertical position. The course of masonry at the base was restored and perished mortar renewed. No attempt was made to recreate missing sections of the arena wall nor was any part reinstated. Fragments of plaster render were found adhering to the face of the wall, which indicated that the masonry was not intended to be seen. The primary render had been covered with a reddish-brown wash. To protect the ancient masonry from pressure in the future, a concrete retaining wall
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 51 Donald Insall Associates
was inserted behind the arena wall, which was secured to it by means of noncorroding metal ties. This retaining wall was continued around the Nemeseum, along the flank walls of the entrances into the arena, and behind the outer ends of these entrances where excavation was taken to the limits of the site. The outer wall of the amphitheatre and the flank walls of the minor entrances had been so severely reduced by robbing that their display was considered impracticable. e) Current Condition of the Monument The exposed original stonework: is generally in sound condition with no obvious signs of delamination. Certain sections are attractive for children to climb upon and these are showing some ware and erosion. Blocks, which are prone to disturbance, are bonded together with recent sand cement render. The concrete retaining structure installed to support the excavated original walls are in good condition. The Grassed Areas: there are extensive worn patches on the main pedestrian desire lines leading from the entrances to the timber staircases to the lower level. Timber Stairs: these are in oak and fair condition but showing signs of ware and ageing. Hard pavings: the stone pavings at the west entrance and surrounding the interpretive panel are in good condition. 2.11.2 Roman Walls and Other Roman Features Within the Core Area a) The South-East Angle-Tower In addition to the extant portion of the amphitheatre the Core Area also contains the displayed remains of the south-east angle of the fortress defences. The length of curtain wall immediately adjacent to the north was investigated in 1908 by Robert Newstead and the beginning of a curve at the south end of the exposed length enabled the identification of the south-east angle of the fortress (Newstead 1909). The demolition of cottages beside the Wolf Gate in 1930 opened the way for the excavation of the angle-tower itself (Newstead 1929, 41-9). As usual with such structures, the side walls are splayed giving interior dimensions of 7 metres at the front and 6.1 metres at the rear with an internal depth of 4.9 metres. In addition to the masonry of the tower and curtain wall, which are most probably of early 2nd century date, the site also contains the lower part of the turf and timber rampart belonging to the primary defences of c.AD 75. This was examined in greater detail by Graham Websters excavation of 1951, which also explored the foundations of the adjacent medieval Wolf Gate (Webster 1952). The base of the tower was then conserved for public display. Although sectioned, most of the fills in the ditch lying in advance of the fortress wall remain undisturbed. b) The Roman Garden The collection of Roman architectural stonework displayed here derives from various buildings, chiefly those in the legionary fortress, and is an extremely important source of information about the architecture and structural techniques of the period, especially as many of the buildings from which they derive have been largely or even completely destroyed. Most of the re-erected columns, along with the pilae used to reconstruct a hypocaust, were discovered in the ruins of the exercise-hall (basilica exercitatoria) of the fortress baths during redevelopment of the Feathers Hotel in 1863 and were rescued by the Chester Archaeological Society. An excellent account of the discoveries, including some of the earliest examples of archaeological
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 52 Donald Insall Associates
photographic recording (photos...), was made by Dr Thomas Brushfield and published in the Societys Journal some years later (Brushfield 1885). Other pieces collected in the 19th century. include columns from the headquarters building (principia) and major buildings west of Bridge Street while more recent additions include column capitals and bases from the principia, similar items from barrack blocks, and a statue base from the Elliptical Building. Many of the other pieces were retrieved by the Archaeological Society from the North Wall of the city during the extensive repair and rebuilding programme of the 1880s and 1890s. The numerous inscriptions and sculptures recovered were displayed in the Grosvenor Museum but the majority of the more mundane, but equally important, pieces lay in store or were deposited in the original Archaeological Garden near the Water Tower and transferred here when the new Roman Garden was laid out in 1949-50. These `lesser` pieces include many examples from the entablature of Roman buildings, especially sections of cornice and plain frieze, along with coping-stones from either the fortress wall or tomb surrounds. 2.11.3 Sub Roman/Anglo Saxon/Viking/Medieval a) Sub Roman urbanisation The most likely focus for early post-Roman activity in the area as presently perceived is St. Johns Church, reputedly founded in AD 689 and lying just outside the eastern boundary of the Core Area. This had developed into an important ecclesiastical centre by the mid-10th century and some of the peripheral structures belonging to the church may well have begun to encroach upon the site of the amphitheatre as stone-robbing cleared the remains of its superstructure. Perhaps dating to this period or possibly even earlier are a number of lean-to structures set against the arena wall whose existence has only recently been recognised as a result of a re-examination of the records of the 1960s excavations as preparation for the evaluation work carried out in 2000. This also located features - a surface and a midden - of potentially early post-Roman date (Matthews et al. 2001, 52-4). It is possible that the amphitheatre, because of its easily defensible form, was put to residential use in the sub-Roman period with dwellings constructed around the periphery of the former arena as may have happened at Cirencesters amphitheatre (Wacher 1995, 322). In this case, the establishment of St. Johns nearby may have been influenced by the important status of the converted amphitheatre. The timber platform found by Thompson at the centre of the arena might also belong to this period. Traces of a surfacing post-dating the partial collapse of the arena wall were also noted by him at a level c.1.5 metres above the arena floor and this might belong to the mid/late Saxon period (Matthews et al. 2001, 107). Because of their association with Christian martyrdoms in the late Roman period a number of amphitheatres on the Continent became the focus of worship and pilgrimage in later centuries and at some, including those at Metz (Wightman 1985, 232 & 297) and Tarragona (Keay 1988, 212), small churches were built within the arena in the 6th century. The SS Aaron and Julian, commemorated as early Christian martyrs at Caerleon, may have been executed in the amphitheatre there. It is possible that the choice of location for St Johns may have been influenced by a particular or more general memory of early Christian martyrdoms in the Chester amphitheatre although this is pure speculation. Buildings, structures and other occupation features of this period were generally slight constructions and the traces they leave in the ground can be, and usually are, very ephemeral. They can easily pass unrecognised in excavations of limited extent and even when they are detected they are impossible to interpret in any meaningful sense. It is vital therefore that these particular characteristics of early post-Roman archaeological remains are taken into account in the planning of any future investigations of the unexposed portion of the amphitheatre and that such works are
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 53 Donald Insall Associates
undertaken on an appropriate scale and to a carefully formulated project design. The importance of this point is emphasised, if emphasis were needed, by the removal of the post-Roman deposits across the northern half of the site in an inappropriate manner in the 1960s. Lying largely within the precinct of St. Johns and thus taken up with graveyards and residences for senior clergy this area was never subjected to intensive urbanisation in the same way as, for example, Foregate Street. Street frontage development did eventually affect Little St John Street and, on the evidence recovered during excavation of the northern half of the amphitheatre, this had begun by c.1200 (Thompson 1976, 164-6; Matthews et al. 2001, 50-2). Development along the west side of Souters Lane was probably discouraged as this area lay immediately in front of the city wall (and burh defences?) which the authorities would have wanted to keep clear of development for a clear field of fire. b) Use (robbing) of Roman materials Evidence recovered during the evaluation investigations of 2000 indicated that, across its northern half at least, robbing of the superstructure of the seating-bank took place in a series of phases separated by potentially quite long intervals (Matthews et al. 2001, 51-3). This is precisely what might be expected if most of the reusable stone had been employed in successive phases of the expansion of St. Johns and its facilities. Evidence retrieved both in 2000 and during Thompsons excavations of the 1960s indicated that much if not the entire superstructure of the northern half of the amphitheatre had been cleared away by c.1200 (Thompson 1976, 164-6).
In 1925 the convent school was taken over by the Ursulines of Crewe, and in 1929 a large extension was built to the south of the main building to accommodate the assembly hall, cloakrooms and further classrooms. This block was demolished in association with the 1995 planning approval for the construction on the site of the new County Court. The Ursuline Convent and Dee House were acquired by British Telecom for operational use in the early 1970s. In 1993 Dee House was acquired by David McClean Development Ltd and shortly afterwards transferred to the ownership of Chester City Council, since which date it has been empty. In 1987 a public enquiry was held in connection with the proposed demolition of Dee House in order to fully excavate the amphitheatre, to re-create a facsimile of a part, and to build a new visitor centre. The Inspector, Mr J D Waldron, recommended that listed building consent for the demolition of Dee House should not be granted, but this was reversed by the Secretary of State in May 1988. 2.12.2 Architectural and chronological development From the front, the main part of Dee House appears to be a fairly simple accretive building of three main phases. These comprise: An early Georgian five window wide three storey block; An eastern projecting chapel extension of three windows plus a narrow linking block made for the use of convent in a contrasting simple gothic style; A western projecting extension four windows wide made in neo-Georgian style.
These date from c.1730, 1867-69 (when the architect was Edmund Kirby of Liverpool) and c1900 respectively. A large school extension built at the rear in 1929 has been demolished and most of its site used for a new court building. The early Georgian house: Inspection shows a somewhat more complex picture, certainly for the early especially when related to what evidence is known from limited pictorial information. There is evidence of surviving fabric that does not easily relate to any of the three building periods identified above, especially a refitting of early 19th century date. What appears from the front to be the earliest part of the building, the central the early five window wide block, has no staircase from first to second floor. The long section drawing of 1976, prepared for Post Office Telephones, shows the central section of the house roofed in three parallel but unequal bays, the central bay narrower and with lower ridge. This does not relate to what is on site, where the two western parts are roofed with a single span of lower pitch. Changes in the roof line are also evident on the inside of the wall where an area of plaster does not tally with the present roof line and the termination in the roof space of a substantial cross wall. There is little evidence in the roof structure or the external walls (though the rear wall has been made more uniform by recent works, perhaps after the demolition of the link to the 1929 block) that such a major reconstruction occurred after 1976. A ridged roof of this form does not sit happily behind front and back walls with parapets. One explanation may be that a house with gabled front was changed, perhaps relatively early in its life, to a more fashionable house with parapets. The plans of 1976 also show how part of the internal alignment is slightly irregular. A map of 1745 suggests that Dee House was in proportion, when compared to the present plan, rather shallower from north to south and rather wider from east to west. There is also a clear straight joint in the brickwork in the staircase compartment
Chester Amphitheatre Conservation Plan September 2001 55 Donald Insall Associates
though the present staircase fits into the present compartment. It may be possible therefore that the polite 5 bay front (with new staircase) attributed to the 1730s was added to an earlier building, perhaps not much earlier. This may tie in with the suggested alteration of an earlier building noted above. Internal features of interest include a number of modest early 18th century stone chimneypieces and some 18th century joinery, including door architraves, cornices, shutters, window aprons and the main staircase. This last feature is strengthened in a curious way with the middle baluster of three to each tread secured with an iron strap to the tread below, probably affected when the house became a school to strengthen the stairs. There is a good arch between the entrance lobby and the staircase compartment. Some of this joinery is likely to have been re-used, for there are shutter panels with raised and fielded panelling in splayed window openings. There are substantial areas of walls and ceilings where the plaster is worked on straw or reeds; this seems to be the 18th century construction and contrasts with the lath and plaster work characteristic of the 19th century refittings. An early 19th century refitting has window and door architraves with characteristic reeded mouldings and paterae in a number of rooms. There must also have been some work when the 1867-69 chapel and schoolroom block was added but the fabric suggests that this was not substantial. Some rooms appear to have been refitted at the time of the c.1900 remodelling with bolection moulded chimneypieces, probably the date also of the external door-case and replacement of most of the window sills where early Georgian house and c.1900 extension now match. The Edmund Kirby chapel wing of 1867-79: appears to have been of a single build and is more or less intact. It has very plain interiors though the door surrounds have chunky mouldings characteristic of their date. A screen and false ceiling have been inserted in the second floor, which retains a plain chimneypiece. The outbuildings along Souters Lane are also very complex. The elevation to the lane shows evidence of at least five periods of work. Some of the fabric appears to have been built as retaining walls, which have subsequently been used as the foundations for the buildings above. In two places in the basement there are suggestions that there was an earlier inner wall, not immediately next to the lane. This appears as stone in the northern half and as a plastered but battered wall to the south. The buildings above are also multi-period: the southern part apparently earlier in its lower storey, the northern part then added as a two-storey building and the southern part then raised to align with it. There is a length of stonewall at low level running from Souters Lane to the main house near its south-west corner. Dee House is built on a fairly level platform and a significant part is probably built on a made up terrace. Perhaps the same is true for the Roman amphitheatre also. There is then a significant drop to the level of the former bishop's palace, which is also on a terrace.
56
Illustrations:
Dee House rear elevation in 1890. This shows the seven bay eighteenth century block and a good view of the south and east facades of the chapel wing.
Photograph (undated) of the interior of the chapel. 2.12.3 Dee House: Current Condition The principal building group comprises the original Georgian House with the c.1900 extension to the west and the chapel extension to the east. The buildings are externally in fair condition but internally, within the main 18th century House, there has been considerable decay and at the time of writing emergency works are about to commence to stabilise the structure. The c.1900 house wing has also suffered considerable internal fire damage. Access to the building interior was gained by the study team following the completion of internal safety works. Because of the dangerous state of the building it was not possible to inspect the cellars of the main house. The progressive collapse of the main internal load bearing wall of the 18th century house was evident as was the removal/collapse of sections of floor and ceilings due to rot and water penetration. Temporary stabilisation works have been completed. The roof is now water tight and internal scaffolding is preventing further collapse. From the initial inspection and advise from officers of the City Councils Property Services, the buildings condition is provisionally summarised as follows:
57
a) The Main House and Chapel External Roofs: The roofs have recently been repaired to the extent that they are now water tight. Their structural condition is likely to be compromised by the spread of dry rot (see below). The roof of the 18th century House, which is concealed behind a parapet, is in the form of a double pitch with falls to an internal valley gutter. It is supported by a central internal load-bearing wall, which is collapsing (see below). Walls: 18th century House and 19th century Wing: The front is in good condition with no obvious signs of structural movement. The rear is in fair condition but with some evidence of slight bulging. Parapets: Some sections of the parapets appear to have been rebuilt in 20th century. Brickwork and pointing: The bricks are generally in good condition. The pointing appears in good to fair condition throughout, although much 20th century repointing is evident and is likely to be cement based and not finished as originally intended. Stone string courses, sills and window/door surrounds: From visual inspection these are superficially sound but have been painted.
58
19th century chapel wing: The main external elements of this wing appear generally sound, apart from the single storey projection, which contained the sanctuary. At the point where this structure joins the main building considerable movement is apparent. Some structured cracking is also evident on the wall adjoining the main house. Windows: 18th century House: The front windows boarded and could not be properly inspected. They appeared unlikely to be 18th century. 19th century house Wing: The front windows are boarded and could not be properly inspected. The rear windows may be original. 19th century chapel wing: The original windows remain in fair condition apart from at the upper floor. Internal 18th century House: Principle internal load bearing wall: This extends from front to rear and supports the roof structure. Much of which is of relatively recent construction). The wall is in brickwork but with timber studs and wall plates/ties, which are seriously affected by dry/wet rot. The wall is collapsing as a result of the decay of these built in timbers and the failure is particularly evident below the roof valley. Floors: Areas of floorboards have been removed/collapsed. It appears that the east wall of the house is supported by the Chapel wing. Main Staircase: The timber balustrade is still standing but the some of the stair treads have been removed. Joinery may remain. No windows could be viewed internally. Ceilings: Partial collapse of ceilings (some with reed lath) is evident as a result of water penetration and rot. 19th century House Wing: This could not be viewed. City Council officers report that this wing has suffered serious fire damage to the floors, staircase and some roof timbers. 19th century Chapel Wing: Internal, walls, floors, and joinery: These elements all appear generally to be in their original state and superficially in sound condition. Damage to windows is allowing water ingress and pigeon infestation. The beginnings of dry rot are also reported to be in existence, which is only to be expected given the proximity of rot in the adjoining house. Recent and Current Emergency Works Roof works: Works have recently been undertaken to prevent water penetration. This has involved felt repairs to the fire damaged 19th century house wing and some felt and led repairs to the 18th century house. Structural: The emergency works undertaken by the City Council entail temporary support for the roof of the 18th century house. The scaffolding support has been erected on either side of the collapsing central load bearing wall and extends from the ground floor through to the underside of the roof timbers. It also provides some support for abutting floor structures. The support threads through the existing fabric and has required no significant demolition works. Possible Future Problems Dry Rot: A survey undertaken for the City Council has revealed extensive dry rot. Wet rot is also likely to be present from the period when the roof was leaking before the recent repairs. Although the building is now drying out, the dry rot may well continue to spread.
62
Lateral Restraint: The floor timbers and the collapsing main internal wall may be providing restraint to the external walls and further timber decay could lead to lateral movement. This may be the cause of the minor bulging in the rear external wall. b) The Ancillary Buildings Adjoining Souters Lane External: The range of two storey brick buildings with slate roofs appear in good condition. Internal These buildings appear generally sound, but there is evidence of water penetration through the roof and the possibility of fungal decay.
63
2.14 Core Area Detailed Study: Recent Planning History and Developer Interest (Post 1990)
2.14.1 The County Court Development In 1993/4 David McLean Developments Ltd, working jointly with Chester City Council, acquired from British Telecom, the site of Dee House and the former building immediately to the west, now the site of the new County Court development. As part of the joint working arrangement the freehold of Dee House was shortly afterwards transferred to Chester City Council. The company applied for and received planning approval and Listed Building Consent for the refurbishment of the building at the rear of Dee House for offices. In 1995 David McLean Developments received approval to a planning application to demolish the former British Telecom property at the rear of Dee House and to erect a new building. The footprint of this new building was almost identical to the footprint of the structure, which it replaced. (A corner of both the former structure had been built over part of the buried amphitheatre and the plan of the new building followed the same line as the old.) The former Telecom building was demolished in 1995. There then followed a period of negotiation with various possible future tenants. Following this process terms were eventually agreed with the Lord Chancellors Office. During the process of marketing the building to prospective office tenants and some minor amendments to the planning permission were negotiated with and agreed by the Local Planning Authority to improve its internal and external planning for offices. These changes also included particular minor requirements of the chosen tenant, the County Court. These amendments included a slight change in the orientation of the building to align with the adjacent old Bishops Palace rather than Dee House. Construction of the new building commenced in January 2000. Completion was achieved in April 2001. 2.14.2 The Dee House Concept Proposals By David McLean Developments David McLean Developments have continued to express their interest in the area. They have developed a concept proposal for the retention of Dee House for a mix of commercial a caf bar and restaurant plus a small amount of office accommodation. Their ideas would provide a frontage public space from which the amphitheatre could be viewed and accessed. Their concept also supports the use of the amphitheatre for events and performances. They have recently made these proposals public and presented them to the City Council and English Heritage, although neither organisation has made any formal or public response. The scheme is at discussion stage and no planning application has been made been made. The David McLean Developments concept is that the scheme would be implemented through a partnership with the other two land owning parties, the City Council and English Heritage and they suggest that the scheme could potentially realise funding which could be made available to assist with capital and maintenance costs associated with the amphitheatre and public spaces. It is important to note, however, that this scheme is only at a preliminary concept stage. Much further development work is required including consultations, survey, design and financial viability examination.
64
2.14.3 City Council Resolution Regarding The Amphitheatre and Dee House (05.07.2000) In sympathy with the objective of undertaking further excavation of the amphitheatre the City Council resolved as follows: This Council resolves to determine a comprehensive conservation and development strategy for the whole site in association with relevant local and national organisations and in consultation with the people of Chester. (1) The objective of the strategy will be for the excavation for the whole or part of the unexcavated amphitheatre in the short to medium term; the Council understands and accepts that this strategy will entail the demolition of Dee House. (2) Council therefore resolves to reassert its long-term aim of achieving the fullest possible excavation and public display of the amphitheatre site. (3) Council notes its inability to prevent completion of the County Court building on part of the site. (4) Officers prepare, in partnership with other interested bodies, detailed and costed proposals that will: (a) Produce a viable scheme for the phased excavation and display of the site, commencing with those areas of the site in Council ownership, that may form the basis of an application for consent to demolish the listed building and excavate the scheduled ancient monument; (b) Allow complete excavation of the site in the longer term; (c) Ensure public ownership and control of as much of the site as is possible. (5) The Council will ensure that all proposals for the site are considered in accordance with the best value principles of challenge, consultation, comparison and competition. 2.14.4 Statutory protection The study area contains three individual sites with Scheduled Ancient Monument status: the Amphitheatre, the ruined portions of St Johns Church and the City Walls, Towers and Gates. The area also contains nine Listed Buildings as follows: Dee House II Old Bishops Palace II* St Johns Cottage II The Hermitage (Anchorite Cell) II* Church of St John the Baptist I City Walls (including Barnabys and Thimbleby Tower I) The Newgate and Old Newgate II Roman Garden (Roman masonry/stonework) I The Groves Bandstand II
65
2.14.5 Local Planning Policy The Chester Draft Local Plan 1997, which is awaiting formal Approval, is currently being used by Chester City Council for development control purposes. The parts of the Plan relevant to the study area are those sections, which deal with: the Environment, Transport, the Economy, and Culture and Leisure. The policies relevant to the study area contained within these sections are too numerous to detail here; however, the following topics are particularly worthy note. Conservation The entire study area is included within the City Centre Conservation Area. Additional planning powers are available to the Local Authority to control development within Conservation Areas and in respect of Listed Buildings. These powers are further supported by Local Plan policies DENV 38-60. Urban Green Space/Strategic Open Space Policies DENV 17-28 protect the green character of the study area, which is designated as Strategic Open Space. Employment Policies DTE 3-5 identify the area as being appropriate for a range of employment purposes provided that these support and are compatible with the historic character of the area and existing cultural activities. Culture and Leisure The study area is designated as Cultural/ Heritage Area under policy DCU4. This policy requires that any development should be compatible with and reinforce its cultural character. Supplementary Planning Guidance The City Council is currently preparing a detailed study of a zone of the city centre, which includes the study area. In particular this will examine pedestrian, vehicular and urban design linkages between the various sub areas. The Planning study is intended to result in a formal supplementary/planning guidance document, which will have status for development control purposes.