Publications

A range of high-quality publications with the latest discoveries about one of Britain's most fascinating historical cities - the Roman fortress, Saxon town, Medieval Rows, friaries and port. For details of how to order, see at the end of this list. UK prices are shown 'over the counter' as well as inclusive of packing and postage.

Excavation and Survey Reports

No 3 - Excavations at Chester, 26-42 Lower Bridge Street: the Dark Age and Saxon periods

By D J P Mason. 1985

Pb. viii + 72 pp. 46 ill

ISBN 0903235137

UK £5.40; £6.60 / Abroad £8.95.   

Planned development of cellared buildings to the south of the former Roman fortress in the tenth century. Reconstruction of the buildings and discussion of the burghal defences. Detailed study of 'Chester Ware' pottery with scientific appendices.

No 4 - Excavations at Chester, the Civil War siegeworks 1642 - 1646

By S W Ward. 1987

Pb. vi + 38 pp. 23 ill

ISBN 0903235145

UK £4.95; £5.95 / Abroad £7.65.   

Combines documentary research with the results of fieldwork to present the first comprehensive picture of Chester's defences in their last phase of military use

No 5 - Excavations at Chester, 12 Watergate Street 1985: Roman headquarters building to medieval Row

By S W Ward. 1988

Pb. x + 75 pp. 83 ill (24 colour)

ISBN 0903235161

UK £5.80; £7.00 / Abroad £9.40.

Excavation of the Roman fortress headquarters and survey of an overlying medieval merchant's house. Insights into the development of Chester's unique Rows. Well preserved plant and insect remains from a 13th-century pit.

No 6 - Excavations at Chester, the lesser medieval religious houses: sites investigated 1964-1983

By S W Ward. 1990

Pb. xiv + 292 pp. 185 ill (67 colour)

ISBN 1872587003

UK £24.95; 29.50 / Abroad £30.60.   

Excavations of the Benedictine nunnery and Dominican friary and summaries of the Franciscan and Carmelite friaries. Architectural appraisal. Appendices on medieval floor tiles and local pottery fabrics.

No 7 - Excavations at Chester, Saxon occupation within the Roman fortress: sites excavated 1971-1981

By S W Ward and others. 1994

Pb. x + 135 pp. 67 ill (29 colour)

ISBN 1872587038

UK £20.00; 22.20 / Abroad £25.40.   

Saxon remains found on seven sites in the city centre. Reviews the long-term survival of the Roman fabric, the development of Saxon Chester as a whole and the significance of the port.

No 8 Excavations at Chester, the evolution of the heart of the city: investigations at 3-15 Eastgate Street 1990/1

By K J Matthews and others. 1995

Pb. viii + 74 pp. 80 ill

ISBN 1872587054

UK £10.60; £11.80 / Abroad £13.20.   

Investigation of a site adjacent to the Cross through excavation, survey of the standing buildings and documentary research shed light on the development and topography of this key area of the city: the Roman praetorium, the Saxon market place, medieval 'Buttershops', 'Dark Row' and Pentice Court.

No 10 - Excavations at Chester, Chester Castle: the seventeenth-century armoury and mint. Excavation and building recording in the Inner Ward by P Hough 1979-82

Compiled by P Ellis. 1996

Pb. vi + 40 pp. 24 ill

ISBN 1872587100

UK £6.20; £7.20 / Abroad £8.90   

Clearance of the Inner Ward of more recent structures by the Ancient Monuments Inspectorate to enhance the area for visitors permitted study of the seventeenth-century armoury and the curtain wall behind it. Part of the armoury was used as a mint, under the direction of Sir Edmond Halley, during the great Recoinage of 1696-8.

No 11 Excavations at Chester, the Roman and later defences part 1: investigations 1978-1990

By C LeQuesne, fieldwork by T J Strickland. 1999

Pb. xvi + 168 pp. 133 ill

ISBN 1872587143

UK £18.00; £21.00 / Abroad £25.50.

Report on excavations and finds 1978-90 with extensive studies of the turf rampart; the date, structure and decoration of the stone wall; the history of the defences after the Roman period; principles of engineering and conservation.

No 12 Excavations at Chester, the Elliptical Buildiing: an image of the Roman world? Excavations in 1939 and 1963-9

By D J P Mason, fieldwork by R Newstead, J Droop and J Eames. 2000.

Pb. xii + 188 pp. 129 ill

ISBN 1872587151

UK £25.00; £28.70 /Abroad £34.00 

Detailed structural report on one for the great mysteries of Roman Chester, here interpreted as an abortive Flavian imperial shrine and exhibtition (augusteum/imago mundi), with the Chester fortress briefly intended to accommodate the governor's residence. The building was eventually completed in the third century to a modified design and possibly served as a macellum. Numerous reconstructions by computer artist Julian Baum (external link).

No 13 Excavations at Chester, the Roman fortress baths: excavation and recording 1732-1998

By D J P Mason, excavation 19633/4 directed by D F Petch. 2005.

Pb. xii + 134 pp. 123 ill

ISBN 1 872587 17 8

UK £18.00; £20.50 /Abroad £24.20

Evidence for the baths building in the south-east corner of the Roman fortress at Chester has been accumulating since the eighteenth century. In this definitive report David Mason draws togther the discoveries made by generations of antiquaries but focuses on the 'rescue' excavations of 1963 and 1964. Built in the first century AD, the scale and quality of construction was impressive, and the fortress baths mark an important stage in the evolution of monumental public architecture in the empire. Through phases of rebuilding and alteration the baths continued to function well into the fourth century. Even when left to decay, the buildings remained a prominent landmark in the topography of post-Roam Chester for many centuries.

Occasional Papers

No 2 - From flints to flowerpots: current research in the Dee-Mersey region. Papers from a seminar held at Chester February 1994

Compiled by P Carrington. 1994

Pb. vi + 89 pp. 12 ill

ISBN 1872587046

UK £7.95; £9.75 / Abroad £12.80.

Thirteen papers summarising current research on topics ranging from prehistoric wetlands to post-medieval mining. Particular emphasis on late prehistoric to Saxon landscape archaeology.  

No 3 - 'Where Deva spreads her wizard stream'. Trade and the port of Chester: papers from a seminar held at Chester November 1995

Compiled by P Carrington. 1996

Pb. vi + 94 pp. 22 ill

ISBN 1872587070

UK £9.95; £11.75 / Abroad £14.80.   

Eleven papers on the maritime trade of Chester and the Dee estuary from the Iron Age to the end of the 19th century: models of exchange; parallels from other parts of the Roman Empire, Saxon, Viking and medieval Britain; study of ship types

No 4 - West Cheshire from the air: an archaeological anthology

By S R Williams

Pb. vi + 104 pp. 97 ill

ISBN 1872587119

UK £14.99;£16.80 / Abroad £19.90.

Over sixty sites, from Neolithic to modern, in west Cheshire and surrounding areas. An excellent introduction to the archaeological wealth of the district.

How To Order

All of these publications can be bought from:

The Grosvenor Museum Shop      
27 Grosvenor Street      
Chester CH1 2DD      
United Kingdom

Tel +44 (0)1244 402008   
Fax +44 (0)1244) 347587      

Personal customers: Send your order and cheque by post, or fax us your order and credit card details (Visa and Mastercard accepted).

Institutional customers: Fax, post or e-mail your requirements together with an order number, and we will invoice you.

Note: Remember to send us your own address for delivery! Payment should be in pounds sterling and should be made to Chester City Council.

Where prices include packing and postage, our charges are based on the following services:

UK - Normally First Class Letter rate

Europe - Airmail

USA and rest of the world - Surface mail.

Discounts: 10% off total value of all orders worth £100 or more

We invite booksellers to send for our trade price list