Images and GIS from an Archaeological Watching Brief on East Hill and the junction of Priory Street/The Dell, Colchester, Essex 2022

This collection comprises images and GIS data from an archaeological watching brief by Cotswold Archaeology on East Hill and the nearby junction of Priory Street and The Dell, Colchester, Essex. The work was carried out in August 2022 for for Anglian Water Services Limited (AW) during the installation of a Pressure Regulating Valve (PRV) on East Hill and associated works at the junction of Priory Street and The Dell. The East Hill works entailed the excavation of a pit c.7m by 4m in the roadway to access the existing water main. This revealed a natural subsoil of yellow/orange sands and gravel directly below the road and its subbase. A smaller excavation in adjacent pavement revealed only modern services. The Priory Street works comprised the excavation of two adjacent rectangular pits, the largest of which was c.1.9m by 0.9m. Both revealed only late post-medieval made ground deposits and modern services. The base of a red brick wall is probably related to the 19th-century terrace housing that once lined the north side of Priory Street. No features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed and no artefactual material pre-dating the modern period was recovered.