A watching brief was carried out by Colchester Archaeological Trust during construction of the piling mat (for piled foundations), renewal of drainage, and digging of footings, for the erection of a new hotel (Premier Inn). <1> The work revealed nothing of archaeological significance. A brick wall, probably part of the silk mill, was seen on the eastern site edge. It sealed river silts containing very small amounts of residual Roman material. At a lower level, river gravels were identified at depths of between 2.1m and 2.5m in the NE and SW corners of the site in drainage intercept manholes. Two archaeological evaluations on this site in 2009 and 2013 showed that the uppermost horizon is 1.0m - 1.1m of accumulated debris resulting from the demolition of the 19th-century silk mill and 20th-century Colnebank House. Under that modern deposit was a layer of river silt, 1.55-1.65m deep, under which were river gravels (i.e., at approximately 2.6m below modern ground level). <2><3>