Watching brief report: Quilters public house, Middleborough, Colchester, Essex – March 2000

Observations were made during an archaeological watching brief on the digging of footing trenches at Quilters Public House, Middleborough, Colchester, Essex. Footings trenches had already been dug out and filled with concrete. In the short vertical face still visible above the level of poured concrete, modern brick and pebble rubble lay over a dark soily layer. It was difficult to be certain whether this level was within horizon B of evaluation trench 1, or whether it intruded slightly into horizon C. Observation of early stages of this work (under a separate arrangement) noted that the amount stripped off the site varied from approximately 300mm on the river side to 600 mm on the north side of the house. Therefore 1-metre-deep footings below the stripped level should not have penetrated the topsoil blanket over the site.