Roman building, possibly a tax office, Great Chesterford (EHER 13956)

A Roman timber-framed building which was excavated in 1948-1949 by Major J.G.S. Brinson. The building has four phases, with the final fourth phases structure being masonry-built. The first and third phase buildings appear to have been destroyed by fire. The building was interpeted as possibly a tax office, due to evidence for the arrival or removal of goods by cart.

1948-1949. Archaeological excavation. A Roman building excavated in 1948-1949. Its first phase, a timber-framed structure, was marked by a beaten gravel floor. There is no positive dating evidence as the building had been burnt down. The next building on the site was also timber-framed with a gravel floor and had also been burnt down. This building was contemporary with several pits which contained second century coins. The third building, following closely upon the destruction of its predecessor was also timber-framed, with wattle and daub walls and a beaten clay floor, upon which lay a coin of Tetricus (from approximately AD 270-273) sealed by a burnt destruction layer. The fourth building was of masonry, in foundation-trenches which cut through the earlier occupation layers. Before its construction, and immediately after the destruction of the third century building, early 4th century rubbish was tipped on the site and in the top of the latrine shaft belonging to the third century building was an early 4th century mortarium the building is thus contemporary with the town wall. The position of a fallen architrave cornice of clunch established the height of the eaves at some 12ft above ground level. The roof had gabled ends. The building had been quoined in tilework and the external plaster facing of the collapsed wall was painted white above a red dado. The building thus comprised two rooms, one 30ft x 20ft and the other 17ft x 14ft. It lay on the main road from the north gate with a yard or pull-in area to the south, from which the larger apartment was entered by a 6ft doorway, outside which a linch-pin and tail- board pins were found on the gravelled surface, suggesting the arrival or removal of goods by cart. It has been suggested that the building was a tax office. <1> See image <2>. Site Assessment: Quarried away - gravel extraction. Building 'I.4', the ‘tax office’, was a two-roomed, L-shaped masonry building with a tiled roof. Its maximum dimensions were 13 x 10.4m, making it the smallest of the masonry buildings. It had been plastered, and had a stone architrave and moulded ogee cornice. <3> See also <4>.