Report on an archaeological watching brief of geotechnical test-pits: Colchester Garrison PFI site

This is a report on an archaeological watching brief carried out by Colchester Archaeological Trust on geotechnical test-pits between the 11th and 28th of September 2000. The development area is located 1km to the south of the modern town center and comprises of a 304 hectare irregular block of land. Seventy-seven test-pits and fourteen boreholes were excavated, the purpose of which was to establish whether the ground had been contaminated and also to locate services. Roman pottery and tile from the test-pits, although sparse, was far more prolific than the medieval pottery. Where Roman material was found, it was not from defined features and appeared to have been mixed in with post-medieval material. Even the human bone found does not appear to be in situ. The relative paucity of the remains is partly a result of the large amount of disturbance to and contamination of earlier archaeological features caused by military activities and ploughing. That is not to say that all features have been destroyed. The narrowness of the trenches and the fact that some were machine-dug quite rapidly and others not watched at all must also be taken into account.