Colchester Archaeological Trust

CAT Report 740: summary

An archaeological watching brief at Grey Friars Hotel, High Street, Colchester, Essex, ??? ???: February 2012-June 2015
by Donald Shimmin (with contributions from Stephen Benfield, Julie Curl)

Date report completed: December 2015
Location: Grey Friars Hotel, High Street, Colchester, Essex
Map reference(s): TM 0007 2530
File size: 18,092 kb
Project type: Archaeological watching brief
Significance of the results: **
Keywords: flint artefact, Roman, mortar floor, medieval, pit, robber-trench, foundation, demolition debris

Summary. Significant archaeological remains were recorded during a watching brief at the Grey Friars Hotel, High Street, Colchester, Essex. Roman deposits were observed in several places on the site, including the floors of a Roman building in the entrance foyer area between Grey Friars and All Saints' House. Medieval remains in the vicinity of the existing buildings were sparse, although a pit was uncovered which possibly pre-dated the Franciscan friary. Machine-trenching in the hotel car-park at the northern end of the site revealed a large medieval pit, which had probably been dug for sand and gravel extraction. Further east, in trenches in the public car-park, archaeological deposits associated with the demolition of the friary buildings were uncovered, including two north-south robber-trenches and a layer of demolition debris. Among the other remains exposed on the site were post-medieval and modern foundations, floors and pits. During the underpinning of an internal wall within Grey Friars, a probable Early Bronze Age flint dagger was discovered by a workman.