Monument record IPS 200 - Chesterfield Drive, Castle Hill, Ipswich.

1988-1989: Area of Castle Hill Roman Villa complex to the South of Chesterfield Drive. Trial excavations 1988 followed by area investigation in 1989. Two buildings found, probably around a yard (cobbled in places) with the other villa buildings on the North and Earth sides. One a timber aisled structure, three phases of construction (the third being insertion of flint rubble foundations in a small part of it). Internal ovens but no discernible floor level. The other a bath house, at least two construction phases, with flint rubble foundations, opus signinum and coarse tessellated floors, painted wall plaster, hypocaust pilae and channels. Served by a wooden water pipe with iron fittings. The bath house footings and hypocaust area was thoroughly robbed - mainly for the flint rubble? A small (84 coins) hoard of bronze coins dating to circa AD 350-360 was found near the bath house (S1, S5).

Robertson 2000, 429 no. 1880:"Castle Farm, Whitton"There a tessellated pavement, now in the Ipswich Museum, was found in 1870, and from time to time coins have turned up, some said to date from Vespasian's reign, others probably of the fourth century."-F. Haverfield, in Antiquary, XXXIII (1897), 104It is uncertain whether these coins constituted a hoard.Undatable" (S5).

Handmade Sax pottery sherds found. The pottery was mostly found in the backfill of the bath house building, apparently after robbing of wall footings etc, and was the latest material in these layers.

Scattered sherds of handmade flint gritted pottery found in the excavation, also one small pit of Prehistoric (Iron Age?) date identified.

See (S1-S4)