4th century boundary ditch to Roman mansio at 17-18 Grove Road, Chelmsford (EHER 17710)

An evaluation trench located a Roman boundary ditch filled in during the late 4th century and associated with the Roman mansio (EHER 5835).

1997. Archaeological evaluation. The evaluation trench located a Roman boundary ditch which had been filled in during the late 4th century. The site lies to the West of the main building in Roman Chelmsford, the mansion (EHER 5835), an inn and posting station used by government officials. The ditch formed a boundary along the mansion's west side, enclosing the mansion and its immediate surrounds only. A large amount of mansion building debris was recovered from the upper fills of the ditch, and the late 4th century date for these fills dates the abandonment and demolition of the mansion to the very end of Roman Britain. Despite the discovery of the Roman boundary ditch, the evaluation trench did not uncover complex Roman stratigraphy. <1>