The 55m by 55m area chosen for our excavations in the north-east of Insula IX had been found by the Victorians to contain the remains of two stone buildings: the diagonal building (House 1) and Block 1 (our Building 1). During the initial phase of Victorian exploration of the insula during 1893, the siting of long trenches extending north-westwards and north-eastwards from the hedge lining the modern drove-way would have identified the stone foundations of these two buildings. Subsequently their outline and plan would have been ascertained by following these foundations. As a final act of exploration, trenches would then have been extended outwards from the known foundations of these buildings to confirm their extent and to check for further buildings. Since 1997 our excavations have been able to clarify the date and developing plan of these buildings.