Colchester Archaeological Trust

CAT Report 1724: summary

Archaeological strip, map and record excavation on land south of Berechurch Hall Road, Colchester, Essex, CO2 9GE: September-October 2021
by Dr Elliott Hicks and Laura Pooley (with contributions from Dr Matthew Loughton & Lisa Gray)

Date report completed: January 2022
Location: Land south of Berechurch Hall Road, Colchester, Essex, CO2 9GE
Map reference(s): TL 98015 22085 (centre)
File size: 13491 kb
Project type: Strip Map and Excavation
Significance of the results:
Keywords: Berechurch Hall Road Colchester

Summary. An archaeological strip, map and record excavation was carried out on land south of Berechurch Hall Road, Colchester, Essex in advance of the construction of thirty-two new dwellings. The site lies to the east of the Late Iron Age and Romano-British complex of Gosbecks, in the midst of numerous cropmarks, with a 2019 archaeological evaluation revealing 13 features including a possible Iron Age ditch and late Romano-British charcoal-rich pit. A further 22 features were excavated as part of the strip, map and record. The possible Iron Age ditch was determined to be a tree-throw, but other features included an early Romano-British ditch, another charcoal-rich pit likely to be broadly contemporary with the first, a post-medieval field boundary ditch, a postmedieval/modern pit/tree-throw, a modern pit and a scattering of undated pits/tree-throws.