Monument record MCC2058 - Roman building, North Hill, Colchester

Summary

Roman building, 'Claudian storehouse', discovered during excavations on the NCP car park site at North Hill in 1965.

Location

Grid reference TL 99470 25328 (point)
Map sheet TL92NE
County ESSEX
Non Parish Area COLCHESTER, COLCHESTER, ESSEX

Map

Type and Period (3)

Full Description

An early Roman building situated along the southern edge of Insula 10.

The building was discovered during excavations (ECC949) on the NCP car park site at North Hill. The plan of the building indicated that it was part of a 'large complex structure' which the excavator suggested had some kind of administrative or commercial function. Some of the rooms appear to have been used for storage as finds included large quantities of carbonised wheat, bronze scales, flagons, amphorae and mortaria. The excavator concluded that the building was a small-scale public depot.
The buildings walls were mostly built from unbaked clay blocks the faces of which were plastered and painted. Where the walls crossed the slope of hill they rested on mortar dwarf walls. The north south walls rested on spreads of gravel and pebbles and, in one case, pieces of brushwood. Internal partition walls were less substantial and built of wattle-and-daub. The buildings floors were mainly of trampled clay and all of them had been renewed at least once and in some cases twice. In one room a timber water pipe with iron collars ran alongside a wall. The building had been destroyed in the intense fires of the Boudican destruction.<1> The building was probably part of the Legionary fortress and was similar in appearance and construction to the legionary barracks at Lion Walk.<2>

Sources/Archives (2)

  • <1> Article in serial: Dunnett, B.R.K.. 1966. Excavations on North Hill, Colchester. 123:1. pp.27-33.
  • <2> Monograph: Crummy, Philip. 1981. CAR 3: Excavations at Lion Walk, Balkerne Lane and Middleborough, Colchester, Essex. 3. p.3.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (1)

Record last edited

Jul 18 2017 2:07PM

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