Archaeological monitoring was carried out by Colchester Archaeological in September 2019 at 36 Cambridge Road, Colchester, during groundworks for a new extension, comprising foundation trenching, c.17m long x 0.5m wide x 1-1.2m deep and the excavation of a soakaway measuring 1.7m x 1.7m in area x 1.25m in depth with an accompanying drainage trench measuring 5.7m long x 0.4m wide x c.0.7m deep. Six layers were recorded. Topsoil (L1, c.0.28-0.37m thick) sealed a post-Roman accumulation layer (L2, c.0.06-0.26m thick). In places along the centre of the foundation trenching, L2 overlay a thin and very patchy layer of compacted stones probably representing the remains of a truncated metalled surface (L3, c.0.01-0.1m thick). Beneath L2 and L3 (where it had survived), there was another accumulation layer (L4, c.0.34-0.68m thick) which sealed natural sand (L5, encountered at a depth of 0.85-1.22m below current ground level). In the soakaway, a layer of possibly redeposited natural was encountered between L4 and L5 (L6, 1.05-1.16m below current ground level). Groundworks revealed the remains of two undated ditches F1 and F2, both aligned NNE to SSW, and a fragmentary metalled surface L3 which appeared to be the remains of the Roman road. Ditch F1, a steep-sided U-shaped feature 1m wide x 0.97m deep, appeared to be contemporary with the metalled surface. Ditch F2 was 0.2m wide x 1.1m deep; a single undated iron nail was the only find recovered from F2. The monitoring also produced five fragments of Roman CBM (imbrex, tegulae and brick) from layer L4 and one unstratified sherd (9g) of Roman coarse grey ware pottery.<1>