Colchester Archaeological Trust

CAT Report 302: summary

An archaeological watching brief on the 'north site' development, Sixth Form College, North Hill, Colchester, Essex: July-September 2003
by Orr, K

Date report completed: 12/12/2004
Location: Colchester town centre, Essex
Map reference(s): TL99282545
File size: 200 kb
Project type: Watching brief
Significance of the results: *
Keywords: Roman wall-plaster, Roman building, ceramic building materials, robber trench, medieval, post-medieval, animal bone, leather

Summary. CAT carried out a watching brief at the Sixth Form College during the construction of a new computer block (the 'north site'). Groundworks in the northern part of the site did not extend deep enough to impact archaeological remains. The one service-trench monitored was dug to a depth of 1.4m and archaeological levels were not reached. However, at the southernmost end of the site of the computer block, an area of tarmac path was cut into to a depth of 1.2m. A layer of demolition debris containing painted wall-plaster from a Roman building was recorded, starting at 700mm below the level of the tarmac path. Adjacent to this layer, a robbed-out wall deriving from a Roman building was observed, just below the level of the tarmac path. A pit containing animal bones may represent the remains of post-medieval leather production.