Colchester Archaeological Trust

CAT Report 448: summary

An archaeological watching brief at the former Cooks shipyard and gasworks, Wivenhoe, near Colchester, Essex - March 2006-November 2007 (draft)
by Kate Orr

Date report completed: 21.12.07
Location: site of Cooks shipyard, Wivenhoe, near Colchester, Essex
Map reference(s): TM040214 (c)
File size: 5406 kb
Project type: Watching brief
Significance of the results:
Keywords:

Summary. Over an 18-month period, a watching brief was carried out on groundworks for a residential development on a former shipyard and gasworks in Wivenhoe. It was possible that remains of medieval waterfront activity and post-medieval ship-building activity might be exposed. Timbers from the 19th-century shipyard were exposed but otherwise the site proved to have been extremely disturbed in modern times. Foundations to one of the gasworks buildings were exposed and there was also much contamination in the area of the gasworks.