Colchester Archaeological Trust

CAT Report 1183: summary

Historic building recording at Town Wall Section 21, rear of 1 Middleborough, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1WD: August 2017
by Mark Baister (with contributions from -)

Date report completed: October 2017
Location: rear of 1 Middleborough, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1WD
Map reference(s): TL 9942 2550 (c)
File size: 7,980 kb
Project type: Historic building recording
Significance of the results: ***
Keywords: Roman, town wall

Summary. A programme of historic building recording was carried out by the Colchester Archaeological Trust on Section 21 of the Roman town wall, to the rear of 1 Middleborough, Colchester, Essex in August 2017. Trenching carried out on the site in 1987 showed that the wall had lost 1 metre of its width above ground. The current septaria and tile facing on the northern elevation was probably added in the 14th century, during extensive renovation works carried out on the town wall, and the rebuilding of the nearby North Gate. Until recently (at least 1938), the Roman town wall here had structures built up against its northern elevation, and evidence of these still exist in the form of sections of modern brickwork. Now it is exposed, this section of wall has begun to decay at an increasing rate, and conservation work is required to preserve it.