A watching brief was carried out in March and April, 1976 following the excavation of a trench (c. 0.5m x 2m in depth) by the GPO in The Parade at its junction with Butchery Lane.

A series of Roman walls and floors was exposed and very briefly recorded. In the southern end of the trench, a very thick double wall was discovered. To the north of this was the disturbed foundation of a Roman floor (? Opus signinum), the room measured 3.60m in width and had a wall 0.55m in width on its north side. This divided the latter room from a large room containing a tessellated pavement. Most of the room contained large grey tesserae, but in the centre was a mosaic panel, which was partially uncovered, cleaned and photographed. Regrettably, the mosaic panel was then destroyed by the subsequent excavation of the pipe trench. The room itself measured 7.2m in width from north to south. The tessellated pavement and its central mosaic panel was interpreted as part of the west wing of the Roman courtyard building found by Professor Frere in 1946 south of Butchery Lane.

Another room was also observed, floored in opus signinum and measured c. 8m in width from north to south, but was badly disturbed in its central section by the sewer trench that came out of Butchery Lane. Its north wall (0.55m in width) had on its north side another room with an opus signinum floor. This room had its whole northern part cut away by deep pits and modern disturbance, but its south wall still retained some painted wall plaster.

Frere, S. S and Stow, S., 1983, Excavations in the St. George's Street and Burgate Street Areas. (Monograph). SKE29967.