Series: Terrain Archaeology unpublished report series

Between September and December 2000, Terrain Archaeology carried out a watching brief during the construction of a new extension to a house at 1 West Hill, Charminster (SY67889270), which lies adjacent to the south-west corner of St Mary's churchyard. Eleven, possibly twelve graves were partially exposed. The burials appeared to be arranged in rows and were aligned E-W. The burials continued beneath the house and the present churchyard boundary wall. The human remains were not lifted and any bones disturbed were reburied immediately. No dating evidence was obtained. The site was clearly carved out from an earlier enlarged churchyard, which is thought to be associated with the Saxon minster church.

Terrain Archaeology undertook archaeological observations and recording during the lowering of the cellar floor at 1 West Walks, Dorchester. The site directly overlies the western part of the Roman town defences. A north-south linear foundation over 2.6 m wide was discovered at a depth of about 2.3 m below modern external ground level. This structure comprised three layers of packed flint nodules and other stone separated by layers of rammed chalk and capped with a thin skim of mortar within a flat-based trench 0.45m deep. Finds from the foundation make-up comprise ceramic roof tile and brick, a Dressel 20 amphora handle and a fragment of Niedermendig lava quern. Observations of an almost identical feature have been made previously along the southern part of the Roman town defences along Bowling Alley Walk and South Walks. This feature is difficult to interpret but appears to be the remains of a substantial wall footing for an early masonry town wall, possibly never completed, and subsequently buried beneath the ?3rd/4th century rampart.

Terrain Archaeology observed the excavation of four stanchion pits for the construction of a new roof to the workshop at 1-2a Green Square, Grove Trading Estate, Dorchester. This lies in the south west corner of the former Marabout Barracks and just within the Scheduled Monument of Poundbury Camp, associated monuments and section of Roman aqueduct. No features or deposits of archaeological significance were recorded.

The site had been seriously disturbed by modern development. The only feature of archaeological interest was a foundation wall of the stables, constructed in the late 1870s. [Au(adp)

An archaeological watching brief was carried out by Terrain Archaeology in May and October 2007 during the groundworks associated with the erection of a new extension at 17 Henrietta Road, Bathwick, Bath. Soil deposits up to 1.2 m in depth were encountered. No Roman features were found, but a Roman soil layer, containing stone rubble possibly derived from a Roman structure, was identified. Later deposits were agricultural and garden soils reflecting usestory of the site as fields and gardens until the construction of the present house in 1927.

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Terrain Archaeology in the garden of 18 Sweethill Road, Southwell, Portland (SY68447002) during October 2002. Two trenches were excavated. Both trenches revealed garden deposits immediately overlying the natural base. No archaeological finds, features, or deposits were encountered.

Terrain Archaeology undertook a programme of archaeological observations and recording at 19 St Martins Lane, Wareham, Dorset. Characteristically for this part of Wareham, a thick late medieval or post-medieval topsoil overlay a 0.3-0.4m thick reworked medieval soil containing pottery dating from the 10th/11th to at least the late 13th century. Of uncertain relationship with this soil, but probably originally cutting at least part of its thickness, were the remains of three small truncated 11th-12th century pits. All three appear to be broadly domestic in character, producing pottery and animal bone, as well as small quantities of smithing slag and hammer scale in two of them. Late medieval finds were absent and only small quantities of pre 18th-19th century post-medieval material were found from the topsoil. The findings from 19 St Martins Lane support a widely held view that Wareham saw sporadic urban expansion from its Late Saxon core throughout the 11th-13th centuries, before suffering significant economic stagnation and urban contraction after the 13th century.

Terrain Archaeology undertook a programme of archaeological observations and recording during excavation of foundation trenches for a rear extension to 2 Wick Lane, Christchurch, Dorset. No archaeological features or deposits were observed and no archaeologically significant finds were recovered.

Archaeological observations were carried out during roadworks to install new speed bumps along High Street, Fordington, Dorchester (SY69619073 - SY69929044). No archaeological deposits were observed.

A watching brief was carried out during initial structural engineers test pits and during the digging of footings. Al The archaeological investigations revealed the remains of a three metre wide wall footing consisting of alternate layers of flint nodules and rammed chalk, which probably formed part of the Roman town defences. The wall footing cut through an infilled coombe running down to the river Frome. It is unclear whether the wall footing was part of the early abandoned town wall, or was part of the late 3rd/early 4th century stone wall added to the inner rampart. No remains of the rampart survived and no dating evidence was recovered. A small number of small medieval pits and a larger number of post-medieval pits were also found across the site.