In Trench 1, the focus has been on unpicking the surfaces within the barrack block. These large drain slots are very odd, quite heterogenous in shape/size and many much larger than typical horse pee slots. The central wall is also still very curious- dug trench, crude rubble dumps in the trench, topped with clay, cobbles dumped on the clay and then the wall constructed. It would be interesting to see if any post-holes come up in the base of the original trench. Overall the confused patterns are made even more puzzling by the increasing evidence for more subsidence on the eastern side of the building too. The surface within the later building although broadly consistent, comprising metalled gravel floors, also contain what seem to be multiple stone lined post-holes (in no discernible pattern) as well as possible random post-pads.
In Trench 2, the rectangular building that overlaps the boundary wall was photographed today, and we are back in it picking away at its surfaces. Morris's big pit was also photographed. I'm starting to worry about the implications of the fact that this wall is at least five courses deep with no signs of a foundation. Does this mean the entire area between the wall and the bath-house is as deep. Is the entire area as deeply preserved as the bath-house. Will we have 2m high free standing walls? Beggars belief !!
In the bath-house main room, the elevation drawing has begun. Although around it excavation continued; both within the room to the north, and in the corridor, where we have started cleaning up the floor again. The annex north of the corridor has given us one answer, the feature I discussed yesterday is a blocked window- with intact upper lintel! We are now at the stage where we can look to dismantling the internal drystone wall and start taking out the final layers of deposit in the southern corridor area.
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