The site lies in a small eastward-inclined valley 180m beyond the south-east corner of Colchester’s town wall. The ground-level was reduced by up to 1.4m in preparation for the construction of flats with piled foundations. During the watching brief for the construction of three flats on the site, substantial deposits of modern and post-medieval soils up to the 1.4m depth of excavation were recorded. Groundwater leaking into the southern part of the excavation probably emanated from St Botolph’s brook. Although now underground, maps indicate that the brook in this area was an open watercourse until at least the mid-19th century. <1>