Archaeological trial-trenching at 12 High Street, Chelmsford, Essex – May 2011

The site is located in the historic core of Chelmsford, on the eastern side of the modern High Street. Formerly the service yard to the rear of 12 High Street, the site is now an area of hardstanding with a small temporary structure.
Two evaluation trenches (total length, 12m) were positioned within the footprint of a proposed new extension. Six archaeological features were identified. These were a fragment of clay (a floor?), a post-medieval pit, twopost-medieval brick foundations with an associated compacted gravel surface, and a brick culvert whose function was probably to run water awayfrom the property across the meadows towards the River Chelmer.
The excavated remains relate to the post-medieval and modern use of the yard area rear of this particular property, but there was no evidence relatingto the medieval development of Chelmsford. A single Roman sherd shows that there was some Roman-period activity in the area.