An archaeological watching brief took place by Colchester Archaeological Trust during August 2012 at The Stockwell Arms, 18 West Stockwell Street, Colchester, during renovations and the construction of a new rear extension. During the reduction of the floor level inside the building, the remains of a beaten clay floor and a possible medieval hearth were recorded. A significant assemblage of 15th-century Colchester-ware pottery was also recovered from a deposit in the centre of the medieval hall. Outside, the remains of a N to S aligned Roman Street and a medieval/post-medieval stone-lined well F13 were uncovered in the area of the new extension. The well had been backfilled with a large quantity of modern/post-medieval pottery and bone. The bone assemblage from the well and from two pits in close proximity to the well contained a disproportionately high number of sheep metapodials which indicates that a tawyer or possibly a fellmonger operated in this area.<1> Inside, the internal ground level was reduced by c.300mm to facilitate the installation of a new floor with services beneath. The hand reduction of a c.11m² area in the hall between crosswing 1 and crosswing 2 was continually monitored by an archaeologist. A layer of sandy-silt soil mixed with a light yellow/orange clay (L101) covered most of the floor area, between 100mm and 200mm thick; this was the uppermost surviving layer beneath the floor boards/joists of the former public house and it could have been the remains of a medieval/post-medieval beaten clay floor. The only find recovered from this layer was a fragment of glazed floor tile. L101 overlaid a loose, dark sandy-silt soil (L102). Medieval pottery, peg-tile, animal bone, shell, slag, residual Roman CBM and post-medieval sherds (which could be intrusive) were all recovered from L102. A dense concentration of pottery sherds and brick and peg-tile fragments (L103) was excavated near the centre of the medieval hall. It is possible that L103 was actually a pit which cut the floor layer L101. However, L103 was the same thickness as L101 and appeared to have been deposited at the same time. The large pottery assemblage recovered from L103 included a significant group of Colchester-ware pottery, most of which is dated to the 15th to early 16th centuries. During the reduction of the internal floor level, the foundation or ‘plinth’ for the timber-frame rests was exposed (F101). Two distinct masonry levels were observed (a & b). The uppermost masonry level (a) was constructed of ?brick and stone in a cream/white mortar. The lower masonry level (b) was constructed of stone and peg-tile in a cream/yellow mortar. A fragment of peg-tile and a fragment of glazed floor tile were recovered from the surface of F101a, perhaps indicating that this is a former floor level. An area of burnt clay (F102) was identified 0.8m from the western wall of crosswing 2; unfortunatley, this area of the internal floor had been reduced without archaeological investigation. The top of the burnt clay was located just above the reduced floor level and it continued below the limit of excavation. The burnt clay appeared to have been covered in a thick layer of ash, indicating the clay was burnt in situ. During the installation of a drain-run, a whole Roman bessalis brick and four large fragments of ?Lydion type bricks were recovered from beneath the burnt clay, by the groundworkers. The bricks were laid flat and presumably abutted one another. By inserting the tip of a trowel into the burnt clay it was possible to ascertain that more bricks lay c.50mm beneath the reduced ground level. These bricks remain in situ preserved beneath the new floor. The reduction of the ground level in crosswing 3 was also periodically monitored by CAT. The floor level in crosswing 3 was notably higher than the floor level in crosswing 2 and the hall. A dark grey/brown silt with patches of clay, charcoal and daub flecking (L104) was hand reduced by c.300mm. Animal bone, medieval pottery (13th-14th century), and residual Roman finds were all recovered from L104. The ground reduction in crosswing 3 exposed a brick offset on the internal face of the western wall. The bricks were unfrogged and the courses were laid in header bond. Outside, the site was covered in a layer of modern topsoil (L1). L1 was dark grey sandy-silt which contained frequent gravel and modern building materials. The depth of L1 was variable, ranging from c.400mm near the building to c.850mm at the east side of the site. It is probable that this topsoil had been imported to landscape the beer garden of the former public house. L1 overlaid a homogenous buried topsoil (L2, c.400mm-700mm) which was lighter in colour than L1 and contained no modern finds or inclusions. Despite close examination, it was not possible to define different periods of activity or accumulation within this soil deposit, described as post Roman ‘dark earth’. The surface of a Roman street (F3) was uncovered in the north-east corner of the extension. The uppermost level of the street was constructed of compacted gravel (metalling) consisting of small-medium sized rounded flint pebbles. Occasional CBM fragments were also pressed into the street surface. The street had been truncated by later pitting (F2 & F6-F11). Two of the pits (F5 and F6) were partially excavated so that the make-up of the Roman street could be examined. The uppermost layer of compacted gravel appeared to be c.400mm thick with no discernable layers or ‘bedding’. A layer of silty-sand c.150mm thick was identified beneath the compacted gravel. Unfortunately, a more extensive examination of the make-up of the street was not possible due to the high water table in this area. The surface of the street was covered in a layer of pea grit c.15mm thick, which in turn was overlaid by the ‘dark earth’ (L2). Overall, the street was overlain by 1.6m of soil at the northern limit of the site (14.08m AOD) but only 1.3m of soil 6m to the south (14.39 AOD). This is due to the Roman street surface sloping downwards to the north with the slope of the hill. In the north-eastern corner of the excavation area, the surface of the street was situated below the water table. Neither of the edges was defined in the trench. A well (F13) was uncovered in the south-east corner of the new extension, c.500mm below the existing ground level. The well was roughly 2m in diameter (1.4m internal diameter). It was lined with a rubble wall (c.300mm thick) constructed primarily of septaria and Kentish ragstone bound together by a cream/yellow mortar. The stone used in the wall was a mixture of irregular pieces and ashlar blocks. Occasional Roman brick/tile fragments, peg-tiles and lumps of Roman mortar (opus-signinum) were also used in the construction of the well lining. The use of peg-tile and the absence of post-Roman bricks indicates the well was (probably) built in the medieval or early post-medieval period. The backfill of the well was hand-excavated down to the construction level for the piling mat, c.1m below the uppermost course of the well lining (the uppermost part of the well lining was dismantled and the materials retained so that the well could be reconstructed to the east of the new extension). A large quantity of finds was recovered from the backfill, including a large assemblage of sheep metapodials and a flat piece of imported lava quern stone. Based on the finds dating evidence and the homogeneity of the soil, it is probable that the well was backfilled in one episode or over a short period of time, probably sometime in the mid 19th century. A probable wall foundation (F4) was identified in the northern edge of the new extension beneath the existing site boundary. The ?foundation was c .50mm deep and constructed of the same materials as the rubble wall lining the well F13. The top of the ?foundation was situated at a similar depth to the uppermost course of the well. It is probable that the ?foundation and the well are contemporary; F4 is possibly part of an ancillary building or a boundary wall which separated two garden-plots. A significant proportion of the excavation area had been truncated by post-medieval/modern pitting. For the most part, the pit fills were not distinguishable from the topsoil layers L1 & L2 into which they were cut. However, due to high concentrations of charcoal, building materials or finds such as bones in their fills, four pits were during distinguished during the topsoil stripping (F2, F14, F16 & F17).