Monument record IPS 579 - Ex Condor works, Turret Lane, Ipswich, (IAS 5403)

1999: The site is situated close to the modern town centre of Ipswich in an area of known Anglo-Saxon and later occupation. It is also situated within the precinct of the 16th century Wolsey College. In light of the site's potential to contain significant archaeological deposits an archaeological evaluation through trial trenching was undertaken (SCCAS Report No. 99/40). This revealed that the Anglo-Saxon/medieval land surface lay in a one metre thick layer beneath a two metre thick deposit of imported material, thought to have been deliberately dumped to raise ground levels.

2003: The entire area of the proposed building footprint was gone through and the majority of it was found to have been heavily disturbed to a depth of c.2.5m by cellars constructed of red brick, and concrete footings from the former factory. A large thick (c.0.5m) slab of reinforced concrete, which was presumably the base for machine, was located towards the eastern edge of the site at a depth of c.2m. No archaeological deposits were seen and only unstratified post-medieval artefacts were recovered from the spoil tips. These were not retained.

From the observations undertaken during the monitoring of this site it would appear that no significant archaeological deposits or artefacts have been lost, as the entire footprint of the proposed construction had been previously disturbed by cellars. These were presumably associated with houses that formerly stood in a terrace along the northern site boundary and other structures that fronted onto Turret Lane to the west. A further terrace formerly ran east west through the southern half of the site. Substantial concrete footings and machine bases, presumably from the former factory, were also present.