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Archaeology (now CAC) was employed by CgMS to conduct an extensive watching
brief on the groundworks for Chepstow’s Flood Alleviation Scheme. Chepstow’s
life as a historic port was likely to be both revealed and damaged by
the new works. Over a period of ten months extensive stretches of the
17th–19th century waterfront were recorded. These included preserved timber
revetments, the walls of a medieval riverside building and a cobbled slipway
used to launch and land boats from at least the 17th century.
Click
on an image to see an enlarged view.
| This plan shows
the risk to archaeological deposits of the proposed flood-wall. The
wall was to be anchored by concrete 'feet' two metres deep. Test pits
showed that the feet would cause damage to buried archaeological deposits.
These deposits would, therefore, need recording before being destroyed.
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Plan of part
of a medieval building on the waterfront. This interesting foundation
is all that is left of a mortared stone building with walls a metre
or more in thickness. From documentary evidence this may be part of
the lost chapel of St Anne or St Ewen or part of a large merchant
building. |
| Timber
is readily preserved in waterlogged conditions on the waterfront.
Several timber revetments were found at Chepstow. These were built
to form the vertical front to the quayside and allow boats to dock
easily at high tide. The earlier ones would have been made of oak,
but later ones, like the one in the picture, were constructed from
imported softwood such as deal. |
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The River Wye is
tidal at Chepstow and rises and falls many metres. To help solve
the problem of off-loading goods,
stone slipways were built to extend well down the slippery river
bank towards the centre of the river. This would allow goods to
be loaded and unloaded on boats at any point on the tide. This fine
cobbled slipway began life in the 17th century and is still in use
now.
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Preserved wood was
plentiful in the foundation trenches for the new flood defences.
Some of it was loose but much was still in position and covered
by later modifications to the waterfront.
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For further information contact: Mike Ponsford
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