An archaeological watching brief on a new cable trench at the Abbey Field sports pitches, Circular Road North, Colchester, Essex: October 2006

Observations were made during a watching brief at the Abbey Field sports pitches south of Circular Road North, Colchester, Essex. A trench 245m long and 300mm wide was excavated by contractors under archaeological supervision to lay replacement electricity cables in an earlier cable trench. Four archaeological features were observed. Three of these features are associated with the circus: the in situ remains of the southern outer cavea wall foundation and the robbed-out wall lines of the central barrier or spina. The excavation of the original cable trench in 2000 had damaged the upper level of the outer wall foundation, and appears to have removed all traces of the inner cavea wall foundation.