The second phase (stage 1b) of trial-trenched evaluation of Area J1 was undertaken by the Colchester Archaeological Trust in 2004, ahead of the development of the Garrison Alienated Land (GAL), Colchester Garrison.<1> Area J1 is located between Butt Road and Circular Road North, to the west of Abbey Field. At the time of the evaluation, the area was used by the Garrison Saddle Club as stables and paddocks. Seventeen trial trenches were excavated across Area J1, totalling 581m of trenching (trenches J10-J26). Sixty-one features were recorded. Apart from modern disturbance and post-medieval ditches, the features dated to the Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age, the Late Iron Age, and (mainly) the Roman period. Roman activity was concentrated in trenches TJ10, TJ11, TJ17, TJ19, TJ20, TJ23 and TJ24; this included demolition material and robbed-out wall lines on a similar alignment to those observed in Area C2, a metalled road and a number of inhumation and cremation burials. A number of boundary ditches and trackway ditches were also recorded. The stage 1b evaluation followed an earlier (stage 1a) evaluation in 2002 (20 trial trenches across the entirety of Area J) and was subsequently followed by (stage 2) excavation in 2004. <2><3>