A 'strip and map' excavation was carried out along Napier Road by Colchester Archaeological Trust in 2006, TL9962 2453 to TL9988 2450, in advance of the installation of foul and storm-water drains and the replacement of the road and pavements to adoptable standards. The total length of road investigated was 225m.<1> Early prehistoric evidence included a residual secondary prehistoric flint flake from post-Roman ditch NRF47. Later prehistoric material found in residual contexts included sherds from decorated urns of Middle Bronze Age Deverel-Rimbury type, from NRL7, and Middle-to-Late Bronze Age sherds from NRF47, NRF54/63, and NRL8. More of the Roman circus was investigated at Napier Road. Circus-related features included an unrobbed stretch of the outer cavea wall foundation with two external buttresses, a robbed stretch of the inner cavea wall, and contemporary gravelled surfaces between the inner and outer cavea walls and external to the cavea walls (the pipe was thrust-bored under the Roman foundations to ensure they survived the groundworks). Evidence of the robbing of the circus structure took the form of a robber trench for the inner cavea wall, a spread building debris from the same inner cavea wall which had fallen onto the racing surface of the circus, and later robbing debris derived from the robbing of the south cavea wall which was found to the south of the south cavea wall. There was also an earlier ditch which mirrored the line of the outer cavea wall including the curve at the east end. There were fewer Roman burials or burial-related features at Napier Road than on Circular Road North or Areas C or J. There were five inhumation burials, one pit with pyre debris, and one empty pot (presumably a 'placed deposit'). Other remains included a Roman pit, undated pits (possibly Roman), post-Roman pits, post-holes, ditches and a robber trench. Other Roman remains included a Roman pit. For the post-Roman period, the principal discovery was of a post-medieval robber trench which appeared to have been dug to remove the foundation of the an earlier phase of the St John's Abbey precinct wall. Other post-medieval features included pits, ditches, post-holes and a robber trench.