The SCCAS brief required a programme of linear trial trenching to sample the site ahead of the construction of the former BT offices currently extant within the assessment site to 78 flats and the erection of 72 dwellings: comprising flats and houses, the construction of access roads, parking areas, and a new public footpath along the Alderman Canal. This was achieved by excavating c.290.00m of trenching. In addition, provision was made for localised extensions to trenches if unclear archaeological remains or geomorphological features were present. Due to extant live services and high levels of hydrocarbon contamination, only 7 trenches could be excavated. There was a high potential for finds and features dating to the Roman and Saxon periods, specifically those associated with the Roman and Saxon settlement identified to the west and east of the assessment site. Despite the above potential, only five archaeological features, predominately in the form of ditches, were encountered. Given the evidence from the adjacent investigations, it is highly probable that the occupation observed to the east and west of the current assessment site extended into the assessment area. This continuity of activity is supported by ditches present within the southwestern corner of the site, exhibiting a clear northwest to southeast orientation, suggesting a direct connection to similarly aligned features previously uncovered at the excavation to the northwest. Furthermore, though limited in quantity, the material culture recovered from the assessment site is comparable to finds recovered from the adjacent excavations and serve as further evidence for a probable connection between the sites. Overall, the trial trenching was successful in assessing the survival of archaeological remains at the site.
Alice Schute (2023) studied this question.