Colchester Archaeological Trust: archaeology in January

In January 2014, the new year, the Trust hit the ground running and kept busy through the whole range of archaeological projects, from preparing a WSI (Written Scheme of Investigation) through fieldwork and producing desk-based assessments to varied ‘post-ex.’, on behalf of our clients, while our team of dedicated volunteers continued all their hard work for the Trust at Roman Circus House.

Our fieldwork projects took us over quite a wide area of Essex and into Suffolk, and included continuing watching briefs at Much Hadham and at Abbey House in Colchester (once part of the old garrison), evaluations at Stock and Purleigh in Essex and at Trimley St Martin in Suffolk and, of course, the Trust’s own excavation on part of the site of Colchester’s Roman circus in front of our building, Roman Circus House. Our building recording projects included buildings or groups of buildings in Bardfield Saling, Hatfield Heath and, in Colchester, the former Sergeants’ Mess (right next door to Roman Circus House!).

At Roman Circus House itself, senior Trust archaeologist Howard Brooks specialises in and produces desk-based projects such as ‘desk-based assessments’, ‘environmental impact assessments’ and  ‘environmental statements’. In January, these included studies for sites in Maldon, Braintree, and Uttlesford district.

Our ‘post-ex.’ work at Roman Circus House was varied and wide-ranging… This included studying the Roman pottery from our excavation of the Roman cemetery at the Butt Road car-park site in Colchester. It also included writing the reports and preparing the figures for a number of completed fieldwork projects, including Napier Road, the former Hyderabad Barracks, Greyfriars boutique hotel, Playgolf Colchester and the Roman circus itself, all in Colchester, and sites at Birch quarry, Brightlingsea quarry, Bradwell-on-Sea, and Shoebury. We also started work on the large final report on the archaeology of Colchester garrison, where we have been undertaking fieldwork since 2000 during the redevelopment of the old garrison. We have been lucky to excavate on some really interesting sites and uncover some remarkable evidence and finds, such as the burials dating to the Late Iron Age at Playgolf Colchester, one of which produced five spearheads; two Anglo-Saxon huts at Brightlingsea quarry; part of an Iron Age enclosure at Shoebury; and probable evidence of a previously unrecorded Roman house at Greyfriars in Colchester. However, often the sites which we are commissioned to evaluate – to fulfil the archaeological conditions of a planning application – produce negative results, ie they are empty of archaeology.

We also maintain the blog on our web-site and are working on the displays in the circus centre. Stefania, our schools and education officer, has been working on the preparations for her upcoming childrens’ Roman circus workshops at Roman Circus House. In January, the Colchester Civic Society visited the circus site and centre at Roman Circus House. The Colchester Young Archaeologists’ Club held their January meeting here and the Trust’s Council of Management also held their first quarterly meeting of 2014 here.

The brick construction of our new storage building was completed, as were the roof-trusses and most of the slate roof, in January; this will enable us to add another large room to the circus centre for the use of our visitors.

The Trust’s dedicated volunteers continued all their great work on the total renovation of Roman Circus House and the endless pottery-processing… The Trust is always grateful to all our volunteers for their contribution to the Trust, to Roman Circus House and the circus centre, and to the remarkable archaeology of Colchester.

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