An archaeological watching brief on the ‘north site’ development, Sixth Form College, North Hill, Colchester, Essex: July-September 2003

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.