Chester Roman museum to receive major revamp after takeover

Dewa Roman Experience was established in the 1990s by local businessman Peter Dentith, who purchased the Pierpoint Lane site after being contacted by builders who insisted a complete Roman mosaic was unearthed during construction of the building in the 1970s.

Roman soldiers will be back on the city streets this summer.

Whilst a series of archaeological investigations unearthed substantial Roman remains, the mosaic remained elusive. At its height it welcomed over 60,000 visitors a year, but closed due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March last year.

The business has now been purchased by heritage social enterprise Big Heritage, operators of Western Approaches Museum in Liverpool and the team behind the recently reopened Sick to Death medical museum nearby in Bridge Street.

Big Heritage founder Dean Paton said: “It is a very exciting acquisition for us, and provides us with the opportunity to create a Roman attraction worthy of Britain’s most Roman of cities.

"The site has revealed some of the most interesting visible archaeological remains anywhere in the North West, encompassing not only a series of impressive Roman structures, but a complete timeline of activity stretching over 2,000 years.”

Some of the historic Roman artefacts.

A first phase of construction on the site is set to be completed by August, before closing over the Christmas period for further investment.

In a statement on its website, Big Heritage added it has appointed Dr Rob Philpott, former head of archaeology at National Museums Liverpool, as director of archaeology for the site, who will work with experts from Cheshire West and Chester’s Historic Environment Team to ensure the thousands of nationally important artefacts excavated from the site are recorded and deposited with the Grosvenor Museum.

There will be a major revamp at the Dewa Roman Experience following its takeover by Big Heritage.

The statement added: "We also wish to address the collection of antiquities purchased for display on the site, which are now in our possession, but have been sourced from Roman sites in North Africa and the Near East.

"It is our intention where feasible to offer these for repatriation to their countries of origin."

Dewa Roman Experience. Picture: Google.

In terms of new features for the museum, Big Heritage is looking to invest in a series of digital innovations on site, from projection mapping trenches to holographic Roman soldiers marching again on the city.

It is also planned for the story of Chester's historic Amphitheatre to be brought to life thanks to state-of-the-art augmented reality, telling new experiences of how women and children fared in Roman Chester.

Regular Roman-inspired food and drink events are also planned, while the familiar sight of the Roman soldiers will be back parading through the city streets this summer, with a view to guiding school tours from September.

Roman soldiers will be back on the city streets this summer.

Georgia Hayes, business development manager at Big Heritage, said “We intend to make Deva the Chester equivalent to Jorvik – but with the added benefit of giving visitors the option of booking onto our Roman Tours and also visit Sick to Death. For the first time, it gives Chester a complete day package for tourists all under one ticket.”

Chris Matheson, MP for Chester, said: “Big Heritage have an unrivalled track record of success in Chester and beyond.

"They bring history to life and I am pretty clear this is a hugely exciting opportunity to develop even further Chester’s tourism and heritage offering.

"I can’t wait for them to get cracking and I will be one of the first to visit the new attraction when it opens – I can’t wait.”