Site Event/Activity record ECC2661 - Trial trenched evaluation at the Globe Hotel, North Station Road, Colchester, 2003

Location

Location Globe Hotel, North Station Road, Colchester
Grid reference Centred TL 99370 25899 (20m by 7m)
Map sheet TL92NE
County ESSEX
Non Parish Area COLCHESTER, COLCHESTER, ESSEX

Technique(s)

Organisation

Colchester Archaeological Trust Ltd

Date

October 2003

Map

Description

Two archaeological trial-trenches were excavated in the car park to the rear of the Globe Hotel, North Station Road, Colchester, in advance of a development to demolish a rear extension to the rear of the hotel and to construct a new, larger three-storey rear extension (CBC planning application F/COL/03/1041). Trench 1 (T1) measured 5.4m and Trench 2 (T2) 5.7m in length, both 1.5m wide.<1> The earliest archaeological features recorded were a gravel surface (possibly a yard) and demolition debris from a Roman building; this building was demolished and a thick layer of clay material was deposited over the earlier remains to raise the ground-level before a new building was constructed. A large building was erected, the evidence for which was four foundations on a NNW-SSE and a SSW-NNE alignment and robbed out in the Roman or Medieval period. The alignments appear to match up with other Roman Buildings recorded along North Station Road. The large width (at least 2.2m) and depth (at least 1.2m) of one of the robber trenches suggests that it was for an exterior wall to a Roman public building of at least two storeys. Both buildings appear to be of high status, producing evidence of tiled roofs, heating systems and painted walls. The Roman road which provided access to the walled part of the town from the north was not encountered during the evaluation, and nor were any Roman cremation burials. The later Roman building was demolished, perhaps in the 3rd or early 4th century AD. There was a lack of evidence of medieval activity on the site except for the possible medieval robbing of the Roman foundations for use of the materials in buildings elsewhere. Pits or ditches dug for rubbish or cess in the post-medieval period indicate that this area formed a back yard to a building at this time. A yard surface was subsequently laid on top of these features.

Sources/Archives (1)

  • <1> Evaluation Report: Orr, Kate (CAT). 2003. An archaeological evaluation at the Globe Hotel, North Station Road, Colchester, Essex October 2003. CAT Report 248.

Related Monuments/Buildings (2)

  • Roman building, the Globe Hotel, North Station Road, Colchester (Monument)
  • Roman building, the Globe Hotel, North Station Road, Colchester (Monument)

Record last edited

May 13 2017 12:02PM

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