EDO4013 - Land South-west of Poundbury Farm, Dorchester; evaluation 2001

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned to carry out an archaeological trial trench evaluation on an area of land to the southwest of Poundbury Farm, Dorchester, Dorset. The area forms part of the proposed Phase II Poundbury development. The archaeological evaluation, consisting of 65 machine-excavated trial trenches (1.76% of the site), was undertaken during two periods in February and April 2001. The field evaluation identified a total of 55 archaeological features across the site. In general the site consists of a Late Bronze Age landscape similar to the results of previous work around the Maiden Castle area. The range of archaeological features and deposits across the site comprises a possible rectilinear enclosure of Middle-Late Bronze Age date situated on higher ground in the extreme north of the site; a field system of the same date, and most probably associated with a rectilinear enclosure; a possibly later field system; a thin scattering of discrete pits and postholes, some of Middle-Late Bronze Age date, others possibly post-medieval; two interconnected valleys filled with colluvial deposits running south of Bridport Road; two large possible quarry pits of uncertain date; a post-medieval rubbish tip;and two possible sinkholes/periglacial features. The 65 trenches were located in order to investigate cropmarks, as well as providing a good general coverage of the evaluation area. A few later trenches were positioned to investigate further salient archaeological features. All trenches were excavated by machine to the top of the archaeology or natural deposits and measured approximately 30m x 1.8m.