A test pit evaluation was undertaken following demolition of St James' House, to assess the significance and preservation of archaeological remains on the site and also to assess the feasibility of the removal of the foundations (CBC application 170158). Five test pits were excavated following the removal of the floor slab (which was also monitored).<1> Test-pits TP1-TP3 and TP5 revealed significant medieval/post-medieval and Roman remains. By excavating the backfill from truncations associated with the construction of St James’ House, it was possible to record the remains in TP1 and TP3 in section. Post-Roman pits were excavated in TP2 and TP5 to examine the Roman deposits beneath. Near the Queen Street frontage, the uppermost level of archaeological significance was shallow and c.0.35-0.5m below current ground level. Further east in the building footprint, similar remains were buried beneath a greater depth of modern build-up (c.0.8-1.1m). The remains of a probable plinth for a medieval/post-medieval timber-framed building were identified close to the Queen Street frontage (F6 in TP2). Other features/deposits dating to this period included a number of pits and accumulations of garden soil, as well as later post-medieval remains, such as a brick-lined soakaway (F26 in TP3) and a small area of cobbled paving (F23 in TP3), all of which would have been located to the rear of buildings which fronted onto Queen Street. Floors belonging to Roman buildings were identified across the footprint of St James’ House (in TPs 1, 2, 3 and 5), with a sequence of floors over 1m deep. These included the remains of a black, white and red mosaic floor (F21 in TP2). The test-pits showed that St James’ House was built on concrete stanchions which continue c.1.8m below the base of the floor slab and are supported by large concrete pads. These pads do not appear to be connected by a ring-beam and probably vary in size (up to 2m x 2m in area) depending on where they are located within the structure. A shallow ground beam (c.0.9m below the floor slab) connects the stanchions around the outside edge of the building and also around the stair core and lift shaft at the rear of the building.