Watching brief by Oxford Archaeology East at the William Julien Courtauld Hospital, London Road, Braintree, 2010-2011 - EEX59452

Monitoring undertaken on the site in 2011 identified Roman pottery and iron slag. NRHE data transfer: Site code: XEX:HOB10. The desk-based assessment, combined with the results of monitoring during the excavation of two infiltration pits, has demonstrated that there is a high probability for archaeological remains to be present within the study area, with the greatest survival of deposits likely to be along the frontage zone. Much of the remaining site has been extensively landscaped, and it is likely that any below-ground deposits will have been affected to a greater or lesser degree in these areas. There is high potential for below-ground deposits of (Late) Iron Age, Roman and post-medieval date within the study area. Based on current knowledge the potential for earlier prehistoric, Saxon and medieval remains is thought to be low to moderate, although there is a slight chance that Saxon burials may be present. Iron Age deposits may include both occupation and burial-related remains that may be present along and to the rear of the frontage zone. Similarly, Roman deposits could represent road-side occupation and/or industrial activities (?iron working) concentrated along the frontage zone, possibly with cemetery remains extending to the rear/west. Roman pottery and deposits have been recorded within and to the north of the study area in Hunnable's Pit, during the construction of the hospital in the 1920s and most recently during the monitoring of the infiltration pits. Information from OASIS Online Form.