The site plan shows the units which were excavated at Colombo Court between November and December 2000.
(S stands for “spit”, an artificial layer 10 cm thick; S10 indicates a depth of 90-100 cm below ground level. “Lot” indicates a natural soil layer)
| Square I | Square II | |
|---|---|---|
| Square I D1 | S10 Lot 1 S10 Lot 2 (brown soil layer) S11 Lot 1 (yellow clay layer) Lot 2 (dark soil) | Square II-1 |
| Square I D2 | Quick Test Pit: S8-10: (This was dug in part of the unit to ascertain the suitability of the location for systematic excavation) S09 S11 | Square II-2 |
| Square I D3 | S07 (wall) S10 (wall) | Square II-4 |
| Square I E1 | S07 S08 S10 S11 S12 | |
| Square I E2 | S08 S09 S10 | |
| Square I E3 | S08–09 S10 | |
| Square I F1 | S09 S10 S11 | |
| Square I F2 | S09 S10 | |
| Square I F3 | S09 | |
Conditions were less than optimal for excavation. Excavation was often interrupted by weather and the need to avoid areas or leave the site where construction work was in progress. Ground water often rose to a depth of 1 metre below the surface. Main research took place in November and December 2000, the rainy season, so the pits often were inundated by rainwater, which also made maintenance of soil profiles difficult. The excavation had to be halted at the end of December 2000. Despite these drawbacks, the site produced enough evidence to conclude that this area had been inhabited in the Temasek period.
Colonial era artifacts recovered from the site are also useful for reconstructing the nature of the activities in the nineteenth century, before substantial structures such as shophouses were built on the site and roads were paved, halting the deposition of artifacts.