Archaeological watching brief at Roman House (former bus station), Queen Street, Colchester, Essex – November-December 2013, May-July 2014

Contractors’ work was principally the construction of fences along the eastern site boundary wall (western edge of firstsite), and adjacent to the site’s southern boundary (the Roman town wall capped by later brick walling), the laying of services, and boreholes.
On the southern site edge, fence post-holes revealed but did not damage the top of the Roman town wall. In other places, topsoil was not penetrated (in some parts of the site, services/fence posts were cut through made ground dumped during the construction of firstsite). No archaeological finds or features were revealed. The boreholes were the deepest intrusions – although direct observation was impossible, some finds were observed in the cores. In Borehole 8 (BH8), sealed by 1.3-1.5m of post-medieval topsoil was a layer containing fragments of Roman tile and oystershells (a layer consisting of the demolished remains of Roman structures, and possibly overlying more solid structures such as floors), and a possible mortar floor. BH2 and BH5 revealed the same sequence. BH1 revealed at 1.2m a possible opus signinum (pink mortar) floor, and BH3 the remains of an opus signinum floor at 1.2m. BH2, BH4 and BH9 revealed clay with opus signinum fragments, suggesting demolished Roman buildings and floors.