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#ThrowbackThursday Middleborough Mosaic
Jun
💡 A #ThrowbackThursday for you all! 💡
Back in 1979 CAT excavated the amazing Middleborough Mosaic. One of our long time volunteers Brenda helped as a volunteer digger and reminisces about the experience below. Does anyone else remember this dig?👀
Where was the excavation?
The excavation was in the middle of the roundabout at the bottom of North Hill and scheduled to be the site of the main offices for the Royal London Insurance Co.
What were the conditions like?
During the excavation we were partially shielded from the elements by a large sort of tarpaulin with heaters blowing in from the side to keep us warm!
Was the mosaic difficult to lift?
We attempted to ‘lift’ the mosaic which was problematic, and resulted in us cutting up the mosaic into roughly 1m squares, and having it taken away from the site on sheets of steel on a lorry.
Were the public interested in the excavation?
It proved to be a great attraction to a lot of local people who stopped to watch us digging. Passengers on the passing double decker buses had a particularly good view. In fact one bus driver used to slow down so that he could get a glimpse of what we were doing and turned up on his day off to learn what we were finding.
Can anyone think of any more mosaics that have been uncovered in Colchester?🙋
