Excavation and site observation by P M G Jones for SCC and McKay Securities in advance of redevelopment examined a site at the confluence of the Thames and the Colne (as it existed from the late RB to the end of the Medieval period). Prehistoric peats and clays were found, cut by a late 1st or early 2nd century RB ditch containing leather offcuts and articles; any other RB levels must have been destroyed by later flood action . Saxon chaff-tempered sherds but no features were found along the bank of the then existing watercourse, which may have been stabilized by large piles in the late Sazon period, perhaps for some structure. Marshy deposits accumulated across the site from the 11th to the 16th centuries. One especially noteworthy find from an early level was a turned wooden bowl. Over 150 wooden piles were recorded in these deposits, some of which were in lines suggesting groynes. Adjacent to the Market Square evidence for the road to the medieval bridge was found with revetting dating from the 12th to the 14th centuries. The earliest roadside buildings were of 15th century date followed by mid-late 16th century redevelopment, followed in turn by early 19th century redevelopment . (240)