Colchester Archaeological Trust

CAT Report 1600: summary

Archaeological evaluation at the former bus depot, Queen Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 2PQ
by Laura Pooley (with contributions from Dr Elliott Hicks, Dr Matthew Loughton, Alec Wade, Sarah Carter, Robin Mathieson)

Date report completed: October 2020
Location: the former bus depot, Queen Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 2PQ
Map reference(s): TL 99910 25041
File size: kb
Project type: Evaluation
Significance of the results:
Keywords:

Summary. An archaeological evaluation (one test-pit) was carried out at the former bus depot, Queen Street, Colchester, Essex in advance of its redevelopment. The development site is located within Insula 38b of the Roman town, close to the Roman town wall. Previous evaluation within the bus depot has revealed significant archaeological remains including a Roman street, a possible Royalist defensive ditch from the English Civil War, and wall foundations and demolition debris from the Theatre Royal which burnt down in 1917. Significant Roman remains were encountered c 0.31m below current ground level immediately beneath the modern concrete floor of the bus depot. Within the test-pit was a Roman metalled street surface and roadside ditch, two Roman pits and a pit/posthole, a possible Anglo-Saxon pit and two undated features.