An extremely well-preserved timber drain (F7) was discovered. The drain was situated within a fast flowing water inlet that filled the excavated slot within minutes making the search for the wall foundation unsustainable. A 1.9m-long stretch of the north-south aligned Roman timber drain was excavated and recorded in Phase 2. In Phase 3, an 11.5m length of the drain was exposed and details of its constructed were established.<1>

The drain lay below the contractor’s intended formation level and, because it was expected to survive the construction works, the extent of the area excavated around it was minimal. The limited nature of the subsequent excavation combined with the continual flow of water made distinguishing the stratigraphy in the immediate area of the drain problematic. The drain appeared to have been located in a gully cut into an alluvial sandy-gravel layer, which was left to infill naturally after the drain was constructed. Subsequent to the infilling of the construction trench for the drain, the layer of large
septaria blocks and mortar mentioned above (L10) was deposited on, and in, the drain. As well as the large blocks of septaria, there were also some medium-large fragments of brick/tile and pot fragment(s). The building materials were in a wet cream/white sand and mortar mix with occasional small stones. This material is likely associated with the construction of the town wall.

Two further timber drains were identified 10.5m to the east of the drain F7 on the same alignment.The more westerly of the drains (F43) was located at a height of 5.42mOD (base of drain) whereas the eastern drain (F42) was located higher up at a height of 5.78mOD, similar to the height of the base of F7 at 5.80mOD. The drains were located approximately 400mm apart at the western extent of the gravel that made up a metalled surface. Only short lengths of the two drains were uncovered as they were located below the contractor’s formation level. It is suggested that the drains flanked a N to S street (indicated by the metalled surface). The western drain was laid after AD 62 based on a dendrochronological date. The town wall was constructed AD 65-80. It is suggested the wall incorporated a gate, to explain the presence of the street, although no direct evidence was found for its presence.

In the southern end of Trench 1, the remains of the septaria and mortar core of the wall were identified 0.25m below the modern ground surface and retaining wall at a height of 7.91mOD. What remained of the outer face of the town wall was located 1.72m from the southern edge of the trench at a height of 7.09m OD. The outer face appears to have been extensively demolished or robbed in this area. The wall foundation was located at a height of 6.23mOD extending around 0.22m from the face of the offset block.

Overlying the areas of consolidation outlined above and concentrated between the eastern drains F42 and F43 and the western drain F7 was a surface comprised of successive layers of compacted gravels. There were five distinct layers of compacted ‘metalling’ identified in the surface separated by less compact sandy silts.

Just over 7.5m north of the projected line of the town wall, the metalled surface layers were cut by the southern edge of what appeared to be of a wide and deep ditch (F5; MCC3077). Given its scale and position in relation to the town wall, the feature is likely to be part of the town ditch, cut in AD 275-300. It cannot be determined if the gate was blocked at this time. Small pits with upright logs in the centre were dug into the street between the redundant gate and the town ditch. Some of these were sealed by a thin layer of metalling showing that they are Roman in origin and late in the sequence of metalling. Their position in relation to the gate and street indicates they post-date the use of both as a ingress and egress into the town. The most likely explanation for the pits is that they were lilia - defensive devices containing sharpen posts pointing upwards (but they are not firmly dated and could be post-Roman).