Colchester Archaeological Trust

CAT Report 1870: summary

The Colchester-to-Gosbecks Roman road: An archaeological evaluation on land to the rear of Hedge Drive, Colchester, Essex, CO2 9DT: October 2022
by Laura Pooley

Date report completed: October 2022
Location: Land to the rear of Hedge Drive, Colchester, Essex, CO2 9DT
Map reference(s): TL 97538 23073
File size: 10657 kb
Project type: Evaluation
Significance of the results:
Keywords: Roman road

Summary. An archaeological evaluation (three trial-trenches) was carried out on land to the rear of Hedge Drive, Colchester, Essex in advance of the demolition of garages and the construction of three new properties. The projected route of the Colchester-to-Gosbecks Roman road was already known to pass through the development site, and the evaluation trenches were targeted to locate any surviving remains associated with the road.

The evaluation successfully located the remains of the Roman road, which consisted of four ditches, set out as two pairs, defining narrow footways on either side of a central carriageway. The footways were 2.1m and 2.6m wide, and the central carriageway c 6.2m across. The roadside ditches are well-defined at 1.05-1.45m wide and 0.28-0.44m deep. The road surface had not survived.