In 1951 it was determined to cut a broad section through the rampart of the town wall, choosing a suitable place where it was hoped that no recent disturbances might be encountered. A trench 10ft wide, 37ft long was cut inside the wall through the bank, c.213yards N of the Balkerne Gate in the grounds of the Technical College. When completely excavated the wall with burned face in mint condition wss found standing to a height of 13ft as from the Roman ground level. The footings were 2ft deep, c.11ft wide set in a relatively shallow trench. The coursing of the wall was as elsewhere - tile and septaria. There was a small ditch parallel to the wall and predating it which had gone out of use before the bank was thrown up. The make up of the bank was composed largely of layers of loosely packed sand and gravel that included 2 thin bands of hard gravelly clay with occupation material. The wall face had probably not been exposed for any length of time. The tail of the bank had been destroyed by a large C3 rubbish pit but a 30ft width of bank established in other cuttings agrees with the slope of the uppermost layers. From disturbed levels over the top of the bank the finds included an as of Antoninus Pius and pieces of painted wall plaster showing traces of gold paint - a form of decoration hitherto unknown in this country. The pottery from the lower levels of the bank are not inconsistent with a Flavian date. The upper levels include some finds dated c.AD70-170. The evidence shows the bank to be all of one build - in the Antonine period. Finds include: samian, grey wares, part of a piece of furniture or casket in the form of an animal foot - a bronze casting with lead core, coins of Gallenus, Magnentus, Antoninus Pius, Victorinus, fragments of stone building material (Purbeck marble, Carrara Marble) and pieces of wall plaster. <1>