During the excavations at Balkerne Lane in 1973-6 (ECC332) a Roman building (CAT Building 56) was superficially examined prior to machine stripping. Very little is known about the earliest levels of the building so that more than one structure may have been present. Similarly knowledge of the building in its latest form is also poor, although it is believed to have taken the form of a strip-house laid out along the south side of the main Colchester to London road (see MCC475).

The house was one of a range (see also MCC573, MCC574, MCC588) situated in this position which had a corridor contained within them on their north side. The only place where the building incorporated foundations was along the street frontage suggesting that its north wall may have been more substantial. Set back from the street frontage was an oven which could have been inside the building or in a yard behind it.

The principal remains of the building consisted of a plank-built cellar which was probably secondary to the original construction of the building. The cellar had been backfilled and the wooden walls left to decay in situ.<1>