During excavations at Culver Street between 1981-2 & 1984-5 (ECC337), part of a Roman legionary barrack block (CAT Building 78) was excavated. The barracks were situated facing north on the west side of the via principalis (MCC760), south of an E to W street (MCC762) and lying back to back with another barrack block (MCC755). Prior to the construction of the barracks the area had been cleared of vegetation, topsoil and part of the underlying subsoil. The original ground surface was sealed by a thin lens of occupation sealed by a thick layer of make up for the earliest floors. The occupation lens probably derived from the construction phase of the building.

The principal, load-bearing walls of the building were constructed on mortar plinths which supported a superstructure of sun-dried blocks of sandy-clay surviving, in places, up to a single course high. These were laid onto double timber-plates, some of which survived as charred fragments. The plinths were set within construction trenches, dug into the natural sand, and between shuttering planks which survived in places as impressions.

The non-load bearing walls of the building were much narrower and were constructed on single timber ground-plates set within shallow slots. Some of the ground-plates survived as charred fragments. The internal walls were of 'stud-and-wattle' type.

Within the centurion's quarters at least nine rooms and a passage could be identified which were arranged on either side of a central partition wall. Internal features included: an east-west gully/drain, an irregular shaped pit/gully, a V-shaped irregular gully, a large sub-rectangular pit with stake-holes in the base, another smaller pit and several stake holes. None of the contubernia could be identified.

Following the military abandonment of the Legionary fortress (MCC477) and the founding of the colonia in c.AD 49, the barrack building was occupied by civilians until its destruction during the fires of the Boudican revolt in AD 60/1. During this time alterations were made to the internal layout, including the insertion of new partition walls and some of the internal features went out of use and were backfilled. New floors were laid and various pits, a hearth, a timber-lined cess pit and raised daub 'platform' were in use.<1>