SDO21143 - Fern Brook Solar Farm Gillingham, Dorset. Archaeological Evaluation

‘Wessex Archaeology were commissioned by Low Carbon UK Solar Investment Company Ltd to undertake an archaeological evaluation of a c.31-hectare parcel of land located at Park Farm, Gillingham, Dorset. The investigation was undertaken in association with a planning application (P/FUL/2021/02046) for the construction of a solar photovoltaic farm, battery storage and installation of associated infrastructure. The evaluation was carried out following the advice of the Senior Archaeologist at North Dorset District Council. The north-east, north-west and south-west fields produced nothing of archaeological value. Possible features/geophysical anomalies were tested in Trenches 3 and 47 but were not found to be of archaeological origin. Horseshoe fragments, ceramic building material and a single sherd of pottery were recovered from the topsoil. The south-east field produced limited results. Repositioned to target a geophysical anomaly, Trench 32 contained a ditch, which remains undated due to a lack of artefactual evidence. A possible posthole was recorded in Trench 51, with a probable hedge line located withing Trenches 50 and 54. The hedge line appeared to align with the existing boundary between the two southern fields. Additionally, a thin layer of material containing three small fragments of burnt animal bone was recorded in Trench 54. No other finds were observed within the deposit, which was contained within a small, irregularly shaped natural hollow. A ‘V’ shaped ditch containing animal bone and a single, small, sherd of Romano British pottery was located in Trench 55. The feature was not found to continue into any of the surrounding trenches. The remaining archaeological features were located in Trench 56. A ditch believed to pertain to an old field boundary was recorded in the southern half of the trench, to the north of which a second feature was located. Positioned upslope of the ditch, this feature was unable to be fully categorised within the confines of the trench but is likely of more recent date given the small fleck of CBM, tile and chalk found within it. The only artefact of note is a small flint scraper recovered from the topsoil of the south-east field.’