Rescue excavations were undertaken by the Ministry of Works on the site of St Nicholas's Church following its demolition in 1955. Excavation work was carried out under the direction of M.R. Hull, Curator of the Castle Museum. A mechanical excavator was used by the contractors which caused considerable disruption to the understanding of the site. Three exploratory trenches were cut along the north side of the site, as close as could be got to the face of any Roman buildings. A total of 11 trenches were eventually explored. The trenches revealed remnants of the medieval church together with several Roman buildings and a street from Insula 29, and Roman buildings from Insula 30. <1><2>