EWX1708 - The Hovel, 4 Market Street, Poole; observations and recording 1996

Poole Museum Service carried out a watching brief during stabilisation works inside 4 Market Street, Poole in September 1996. A layer of dark brown/black loamy silt soil over one metre thick was observed. This is probably garden soil but contained sparse marine mollusc shells and no artefacts. An alignment of limestone and chalk blocks was found just inside the wall on the Market Street frontage. This was interpreted as a garden wall pre-dating the construction of 4 Market Street in the 18th century. A Purbeck stone block carved with the initials ARTG in an archaic script was seen in the NE wall of the house, which, in fact appears to be part of the chimney structure of 6 Market Street.