Parallel ditches possibly representing roadside ditches at land south-west of Hill Farm, Bromley Road (EHER 80395)

Two parallel ditches were uncovered in the northern half of the site, however, and it is possible that these represent the roadside ditches of the Roman thoroughfare thought to have linked Mistley with Colchester, although a lack of finds means this cannot be confirmed without further investigation.

Evaluation, 2024 Two parallel ditches were uncovered in the northern half of the site, both ditches were of very similar dimensions, lay parallel to one another on an east north-east/west south-west alignment, and were only 0.32m apart, and it is possible that they may represent a Roman roadside ditch and a later re-cut. The route of a Roman road thought to have linked Mistley with Colchester is projected to run through the southern part of the site, which also lies north-west of an area of ancient woodland, and south-east of the site of a former fulling mill dating back to at least the 16th century. No trace of the Roman road was found along its projected route. If these features are Roman roadside ditches, their orientation enables us to extrapolate a new projected course of the Colchester-Mistley Roman road. It has also been speculated by Geoff Lunn of the Roman Roads Association that the road turns shifts direction here, turning to the west south-west towards a crossing across the Salary Brook (pers. comm.), and this provides an alternative interpretation of the results of the evaluation. However, no dating evidence was recovered from either of these features, and so this can only remain a matter of speculation without further investigation. <1> It is worth noting that a previous investigation to uncover the Colchester-Mistley Roman road, carried out some 2.2km to the south-east in 1993, similarly failed to detect any trace of it (CAT Report 1000, 93/8b).