Section of 4th century town wall at Newmarket Road, Great Chesterford (EHER 13909)

A watching brief in 1989 on a contractor's trench recorded a 3.75m wide chalk deposit which was interpreted as the foundation of the town wall.

1989. Watching brief. The trench for mains gas pipe laying along Newmarket Road (B1383) cut through a layer of stones set in chocolate brown material 0.5m below the road level and extending a further 0.5m in depth. The width was 3.75m. Although the material could be seen in both sides of the trench it was difficult to tell at what angle it crossed the road as the trench was only 25cm wide; however, it appeared to cross roughly at rectangles. <1> On Newmarket Road, a contractors trench cut across a 3.75 m wide layer of chalk set in a dark brown (possibly iron-stained) mixture at 0.5 m below modern ground level at TL 5046 4278. The width of the chalk deposit and its position close to the sighting of the wall at Flint cottage (EHER 13905) indicates that it is the foundation of the town wall, the brown material merely indicating some disturbance on the top of the foundation. <2> See also <3>.