History, University of Chester

27/05/2026

Day 11 and Seb says week 3 is underway with a variety of finds aplenty, including Roman pottery, nails, and some small copper fragments.

Ryan reports that student-archaeologists Nick and Theo have been trowelling away, braving the elements (light rain at around 10 o'clock and slightly-gustier-than-a-breeze winds after lunch) and stubborn soil to excavate a section adjacent to the Saxon Ditch. While little to nothing was found this drizzly morning, this sunny afternoon saw the finding of fired clay, animal bone and traces of copper (that last one is a bit exciting). Who knows what two determined diggers might discover this week...

Grosvenor Museum and Stretton Watermill & University of Chester

22/05/2026

21/05/2026

Day 10 marked the start of Week 3 and Theo's group finally reached the natural clay of the area of Roman deposits they've been digging for the past week and a half - archaeology is all about patience - "The rain in the morning made the soil nice and wet making it easier for us to trowel. Some of the finds included some glass, pottery, and a few Roman nails"!

Bea's group uncovered some more medieval tile and a piece of decorative carved stone, probably from a reused grave slab, as well as a whole heap of animal bone, including a partial sheep jaw!

Keep checking us out in Grosvenor Park between 10:30-12:30 and 1:30-4:30 🤭

University of Chester & Grosvenor Museum and Stretton Watermill

19/05/2026

Day 9 and it’s the end of Week 2 on the Grosvenor Park excavation! 🌟

19/05/2026

Posing archaeologists as people posing with fish!🎣 🐟 End of week 2 in Grosvenor Park!!

19/05/2026

Tiles, Tiles, Tiles from Bram on Day 8 - As we head towards the end of our second week in Grosvenor Park, I continue to be lucky in finding various pieces of medieval floor tile during excavation. The colour and intricacies on these medieval tiles are wonderful to see, especially in person, with similar designs having been found within the city on previous occasions and one potentially even being a completely new design to the Chester area!

University of Chester / Grosvenor Museum and Stretton Watermill

19/05/2026

It’s our Open afternoon today - come along to hear from our students about what they have found with and see some of the fascinating finds!
From 2pm - 4.30 pm today!

18/05/2026

Lucy's favourite part of the dig = using the mattock ⛏️! Day 8 on the dig and we're finding lots of Roman and medieval pottery on site, as well as learning how to mark finds with Julie!

Grosvenor Museum and Stretton Watermill & University of Chester

18/05/2026

On Day 7 Abbie enjoyed a crucial part of , washing the finds - I love this part because it's when you get to really have a good look at all of the things that you've been finding and watching the soil come off to reveal the objects true colours and patterns is so satisfying! Here are some pictures of objects before and after washing...

University of Chester / Grosvenor Museum and Stretton Watermill

18/05/2026

Can you believe it's our final week! Tomorrow afternoon our excavation will be *open to the public*!

To find out more about what our University of Chester archaeology students have uncovered with Grosvenor Museum and Stretton Watermill this year and see the new finds first hand, come along from 2pm-4.30pm (Tues 19th May)!