Monument record MDO8731 - Medieval ditch A, Wick Lane (site W43), Christchurch

Excavation at Wick Lane, Christchurch, during 1983 (site W43), revealed a ditch c. 4.5m across and 1.4m deep, with sloping sides and a flat base. A thin band of gravel along the northern lip of the ditch might suggest the presence of an inner bank. The ditch is on the line of medieval ditch A which runs from the northern town defences to Wick Lane parallel to and west of High Street, some 60m inside the line of the western town defences.

Wessex Archaeological Committee conducted an excavation at Wick Lane, Christchurch, during 1983 (site W43) in advance of the construction of an access road from Wick Lane to the rear of High Street. The results were subsequently published in PDNHAS volume 105 (Davies 1983).

The excavation revealed a ditch c. 4.5m across, 1.4m deep, with sloping sides and a flat base. The primary fill of sand and gravel had been re-cut during the active life of the ditch to form a central channel. The secondary silt of sand and gravel was covered by a 1m thick layer of orange-brown sand. No layers could be positively identified as deriving from a bank, although a thin band of gravel along the northern lip of the ditch might suggest the presence of an inner bank. A post medieval soil had developed above the upper fill of the ditch.

The ditch is on the line of medieval ditch A, which was augered by P. Aitken and runs from the northern town defences to Wick Lane, parallel to and west of High Street, some 60m inside the line of the western town defences. Harding suggested that this ditch may represent a contraction of the towns defensive circuit in the medieval period.

Davies, S M, 1983, Excavations at Christchurch, Dorset, 1981 to 1983; Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 53-5 (Article in serial). SWX4065.

Record last edited

Oct 29 2024 4:12PM