Following the demolition of buildings L, M and N within the Albion Mill complex and an evaluation trench  assessed the extent of archaeological deposits uncovered in the Willow Street car park.

The evaluation trench measured 5 x 2 metres and was machine excavated onto the natural gravels to a depth of 16.30 metres OD. One feature was revealed in the east section consisting of a modern pit (594) with 6 distinct fills.  All of the fills sloped from the south to the north in a series of dump layers.  The primary fill (591) consisted of loose light yellow brown sandy gravel roughly 0.20 metres thick.  This was overlain by 590, pale grey clay roughly 0.15 metres thick.  Above this was 589, fairly compact red brown clay with grey lenses roughly 0.40 metres thick. Overlying 589 was 588, a loose creamy white clinker and kiln waste layer roughly 0.25 metres thick.  The final fill of this pit 587, was firm mid brown silty clay approximately 0.50 metres thick.  The dating evidence from this pit is late 19^th – early 20^th century. 

Pit 594 was cut into 592, a fairly compact pinkish red gravel layer roughly 0.60 metres thick that may represent re-deposited natural.  Directly below this was loose beige sandy mortar layer 593, roughly 0.10 metres thick and fairly loose mid brown silty clay (475).  Below 475 was 476, fairly loose mid brown silty sandy clay with gravel inclusions.

Both of these contexts had been encountered in the Willow Street excavation. 

Following the evaluation, the area was completely stripped to build a piling mat for the new buildings.  This work was archaeologically monitored but no features of interest were revealed across this area except in section along the Mill Street frontage.  The natural gravels occurred at the limit of excavation at 16.24 metres OD (roughly 1.20 metres deep). Within the section layer 686 (directly overlying the gravel) were sherds of abraded Roman pottery and slag.  The pottery was almost certainly residual and was dated to from the 1^st – 4^th centuries.

Layer 686 was cut by post-hole 687.  The post-hole was packed with a large sandstone block (694) and a degraded wooden post (689) was visible.  The post-hole was probably part of the original gateway into the courtyard.

All other layers within this section were either related to modern services or surfaces and all of mid – late 20^th century date.

A further stage of works involved the monitoring of an excavation for building foundations between the terraced housing known as Albion Mill cottages which was another entrance to the site (see Plate 19 ).  The excavation of this area revealed former cellars shown on the 1^st Edition OS plan of 1884.  Removal of the cellar wall fronting onto Portland Street revealed a series of post-medieval deposits overlying natural alluvium (804) at a depth of 14.41 metres OD. 

A second area of excavation following the demolition of Block I (see Figure 9) was undertaken because the piles that were to be positioned in this area could not be drilled through the deposits near the surface.  Immediately below the modern concrete slab another brick structure (814) was discovered, although it is uncertain if this was another water tank or a well as it was only partially exposed.  It was filled with brick rubble and the dimensions were unclear as it was below the water table and therefore fully submerged. 

The excavation of a lift shaft within building A of Albion Mill (see Figure 9) revealed a large water storage tank (813) in the south-east corner of the building constructed from red and blue engineering brick in an English bond.  The roof was corbelled with a large concrete slab forming the central capstone.  It measured approximately 2.50 square metres with the northern wall forming a semicircle in plan and still held water.  It was almost 7 metres deep and a number of modern deposits had built up against its external wall. 

The final area of excavation was located within Block B.  An area approximately 12 x 3 metres was stripped roughly 2.20 metres below the current floor level for construction of a pile mat.  No deposits of archaeological interest were observed and only rubble and concrete were present at the limit of the excavation.