EDO5356 - Land at Park Farm, Gillingham; evaluation 1999

'The archaeological evaluation by means of trench excavation and earthwork survey on the site of two proposed development areas on land adjacent to Park Farm, Gillingham was undertaken by AC archaeological during July 1999. Area 1 consists of an outline application for residential development covering an area of approximately 6 hectares on land currently used for grazing. Area 2 comprises an outline application for employment development, covering an area of approximately 5.8 hectares, on land centred on the existing farm building and therefore mixed land-use including hardstanding. The main archaeological interest in the site is the presence of part of the western boundary of the Medieval deer-park, a large part of which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM Dorset 796), but not the portion which crosses through the proposed development areas. Here the former boundary is represented by a low earthwork bank, approximately 3m wide, with a linear hollow on its SW side representing the associated ditch. In other parts of the site (to the SE) the park pale does not survive as a surface feature. The trench excavation comprised 17 trenches with a total length of 640m, each 2.00m wide; an approximate 2% sample of the total area currently accessible and likely to be affected by the proposed scheme. This exercise revealed that archaeological interest for the site appears to be confined to two areas; first, a cluster of faint features within Trenches 2 and 3 in Area 1, and secondly; the surviving portion of the medieval deer park boundary in Area 2. The remaining trenches provided wholly negative, or very limited archaeological results. Archaeological features within Area 1 comprised a small cluster of poorly-defined features in Trench 3, and a probable ditch in Trench 2, which contained the only positive dating evidence from a sealed context in this area, although small quantities of worked flint were also present in some features. These features may indicate limited settlement of later prehistoric date, although edges were poorly defined, and there was a general paucity of artefacts within features and topsoil contexts. This small cluster of features appear to indicate short-lived and non-intensive occupation; this based on low-level artefact recovery and the surrounding poorly drained soils. The park pale survives as a low earthwork within Plot 3 only. Trench 12 revealed that the boundary feature had been wholly removed by a large quarry pit or pond within Plot 2, likely to be present across the whole of this field. However, a profile through the park pale was obtained within Trench 11, revealing the presence of a wide, shallow ditch on its outside only, and evidence for a low, stone-covered bank, clearly spread by ploughing. Although the former deer-park boundary is an important landscape and historical feature, when considered as a whole, the earthwork shows only poor survival in this location.' [1]