Colchester Archaeological Trust

CAT Report 1045: summary

Archaeological monitoring and recording at Priory Street car-park, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1QA: October-November 2016
by Laura Pooley (with contributions from -)

Date report completed: April 2017
Location: Priory Street car-park, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1QA
Map reference(s): TM 0010 2505 (c)
File size: 3,136 kb
Project type: Archaeological monitoring and recording
Significance of the results: *
Keywords: archaeological horizons

Summary. Archaeological monitoring and recording was carried out at Priory Street car-park, Colchester, Essex during the redevelopment and enhancement of the car-park. The site is located immediately to the south of the Roman town wall and above the line of the Roman town ditch. Groundworks revealed modern layers to a depth of 0.5m below current ground-level (bcgl). Sealed beneath were patches of a post-medieval/modern silty loam between 0.5 and 1.2m bcgl probably associated with housing on the site since the 18th century. Between and sealed by L3 were pockets of 'dark earth' also identified at depths of between 0.5 and 1.2m bcgl. This layer of 'dark earth' is possibly either the very top fill of the Roman town ditch or a layer of post-Roman topsoil accumulated over the ditch. Therefore, groundworks on the Priory Street car-park have shown that significant archaeological horizons survive in places at a minimum depth of 0.5m bcgl.