A watching brief was held during the excavation of a trial hole by contractors at the rear of 31a St. Botolph's Street in advance of the demolition of dilapidated buildings in the area. The trench was approximately 1m square and the water table was reached at a depth of just over 1m. A thick layer of rather mixed topsoil was revealed below approximately 0.75m of modern rubble makeup. A band of whitish mortar was revealed at a depth of 1m. At a depth of 1.6m, a large longitudinal wooden object was revealed aligned approx SE-NW. Possibly a medieval timber drain?<1>