Initially a geotechnical watching brief, followed by an archaeological in advance of the mixed-use redevelopment of the site.

The site had previously been occupied by a 1980’s office building with a substantial basement that covered the entire footprint. The area of the site was approximately 4,700m2 and included part of the West India Export Dock Wall (Grade I Listed) and part of a linking lock to the Limehouse basin constructed in 1803. It is located on the west side of the junction between the Export Dock and the Limehouse Basin, which existed at least between 1816 and 1910, after which the lock connecting the two was in-filled.

The archaeological watching brief was undertaken on geotechnical six test pits, two of which were to confirm the presence, dimensions and depth of the historical lock structure, previously identified in building works elsewhere on the site as well as from historical cartographic sources.

The watching brief showed significant truncation occurred across the site due to the construction of the 1980s building and that the site held little potential for geoarchaeological deposit survival or archaeological survival pre-dating the construction of the dock.  The dock wall was observed along with related remains including dockside workings in the form of timber shavings and off-cuts.  The potential for post-medieval activity on the site therefore formed the basis for an archaeological evaluation, which followed on from the watching brief.

The evaluation consisted of a single trench 10m x 2m x 2m and revealed an 8.55m length of the lock canal. It was made of red brick laid in English coursing and capped by worked stone slabs. In the southeast corner of the trench, a rebate was recorded in the masonry into which the south-western lock gate would have recessed when open. The fieldwork has therefore confirmed that the lock and dock positions are approximately accurate to the historic maps.

A comprehensive report drawing together the results of the watching brief and evaluation was produced by PCA after the completion of the fieldwork. No further archaeological mitigation work was required at the site.