An archaeological watching brief at 2 The Maynards, Museum Street, Saffron Walden, Essex – April 2012

Observations were made during ground-level reduction.
Level reduction removed a thin modern topsoil (L1). This material sealed a horizon of modern made-up ground which contained substantial deposits of builder’s debris (brick, slate and plastic, none of which was retained). L2 sealed a chalk-flecked silt (L3) containing CBM and coal flecking.
Excavation was halted at this depth because a change was made in the foundation design (from a beam foundation to a raft foundation), limiting the impact to 300mm below ground-level and restricting any impact to L2.
No significant archaeological material or features were identified during the course of monitoring work at the site. Modern garden material sealed a major deposit of building debris probably associated with the construction of the Maynards in the
1980s/90s. Any surviving underlying archaeological horizons remain in situ and unaffected by the raft foundation.