A tiral trench (4m x 1.6m in size)was excavated in the rear garden of 2 Sussex Lodge, Sussex Road, Colchester, in advance of the construction of a new building. Modern deposits occupied the uppermost 0.7-0.8m, sealing a thick (0.9m) accumulation of dark soil that extended to the top of natural sand, which was exposed at an overall depth of 1.6m. This layer was assumed to be a long-term soil accumulation, spanning a range of periods from Roman to post-medieval/modern.<1>