Monument record MDO41365 - Possible post medieval field boundary, Kinson Manor Farm, Bournemouth

A banked curvilinear feature running along the edge of part of the Stour riverbank to the northwest of Kinson Manor Farm is visible on 1940s aerial photographs. The feature may be a historic field boundary, possibly post medieval in origin. It was digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

A banked curvilinear feature running along the edge of part of the Stour riverbank to the northwest of Kinson Manor Farm is visible on 1940s aerial photographs (1).

The feature is narrow and runs for approximately 55m along the southern edge of the River Stour before turning southeast for a further 38m. The feature spans the northern edge of a small outward curve of the riverbank to the north of a series of short parallel curving terraces, possibly natural in origin but possibly the result of post medieval gravel extraction (MDO41364). It is not clear whether the two sets of features are related in any way; the banked curvilinear feature may be a historic field boundary of possible post medieval origin, or alternatively some other type of narrow boundary bank of post medieval or perhaps modern origin.

The course of the River Stour at this point may have slightly altered between that indicated on the OS 1st Edition map and that of the 1940s; the small neck of land appears slightly larger, potentially extending further north into the river, possibly suggesting some land reclamation or reinforcement of the riverbank and possibly some remodelling of the river channel (1 and 2). The presence of a retaining bank or boundary may be explained if this were the case, although the precise detail of the river course on the OS 1st Edition map may be misleading and unreliable.

The site is under trees on Google Earth imagery and the feature is no longer visible. It was digitally plotted from 1940s aerial photographs by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

<1> Royal Air Force, 20-OCT-47, RAF/CPE/UK/2370 V 5213-4 (Aerial Photograph). SDO16110.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1864, 1886, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch one (Map). SDO10239.

Record last edited

Jul 30 2018 3:04PM