Archaeology, University of Chester

09/10/2026

11/09/2026

In a research project in association with Chester Cathedral, History students in the second year of their degree course have investigated the historic trade and community of Chester’s shoemakers (also known as ‘Cordwainers’), including the connections of the shoemakers’ trade guild (represented today by the Company of Cordwainers within the Freemen and Guilds of the City of Chester) to the religious and political heritage of the city. This ‘sole-searching’ was undertaken by Nia Reece, Robert Brockbank, Kam Butler-Henderson, Harriet Spencer, Arda Turkoglu, Charlie Clark, and Ashton Hooper, in collaboration with Emily Lanigan‑Palotai – Chester Cathedral’s Collections Manager. The University’s Dr Jonathan Worton provided the students with tutorial support. The output of the group’s research was to produce information posters (now displayed on campus in Alexandra House, the ‘home’ of History and Archaeology), and blog posts, of which this is the first of a series of four – the others to be posted on the Cathedral’s website during September.
: https://buff.ly/qkTsCLW

This blog was authored by a student from the University of Chester. In a research project in association with Chester Cathedral, students on the second year of their BA History degree course have investigated the historic trade and community of Chester’s shoemakers (also known as ‘Cordwainers’...

22/05/2026

21/05/2026

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

21/05/2026

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

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

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

Week 2 started with a Bank Holiday so we had a well-deserved rest but Sadie sent us some finds from Day 6 - Finds of the day, some pottery, glass and endless clay pipes!


University of Chester / Grosvenor Museum and Stretton Watermill