Evidence of a high-status Roman town house originally recorded during the 2001 evaluation (ECC2519). This building was located in a suburb outside the Roman town wall, situated alongside the Roman road leading out of the north gate of the walled town. This house featured a brick herringbone floor. The black and white mosaic floor and another, coloured mosaic floor found during the 2002 investigations are also thought to have formed part of this residence.

The building was then demolished and one or two larger public buildings were constructed on the site (MCC2946).

It was not clear whether the three areas of herringbone observed are part of the same floor, but they were found at the same level and alignment, suggesting this may be the case, indicating a floor size of at least 5.5m by 6.5m. The opus signinum feature (MCC2701) from the 2001 evaluation (ECC2519) may be a sunken feature in this room or part of a later Roman phase.

The small bricks (‘spicae’) forming the herringbone pattern were set into opus signinum mortar on top of concrete. Some parts of the floor had an almost smooth surface and some of the bricks were blackened. Loose spicae of similar dimensions were found in the 2001 evaluation and are presumed to come from the same floor originally, but having been re-used, were thus found in demolition debris inside the opus signinum structure.

Further sections of a black and white mosaic floor were observed, originally discovered during the 2001 evaluation, which is likely to be contemporary to the foundation/herringbone floor.<1>