Archaeological Evaluation at 7 Archers Road, Southampton (SOU1659)
Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit, 2016. https://doi.org/10.5284/1038996. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
Primary contact
Matthew F
Garner
Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit
18 Melbourne Street
Southampton
SO14 5FB
Tel: 023 8083 2937
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 2342
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1038996
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
The Archaeology Unit of Southampton City Council carried out an archaeological evaluation at 7 Archers Road, commissioned by Drew Construction. There was a proposal to demolish the existing building and construct another under planning application 13/01308/FUL. The evaluation was preceded by a watching brief which was commissioned by Orchard Homes.
The natural deposits were Brickearth over River Terrace Gravel. The weathered surface of the Brickearth contained medieval and other finds.
Three features of uncertain date cut the weathered Brickearth but were only partly exposed by the trenches. Two of these features were pits or ditches, containing burnt flint and flecks of charcoal, the other was a possible natural tree-hole and contained no cultural material. The flint flakes and burnt flints probably indicate prehistoric activity in the area but most were residual finds, recovered from later contexts. A layer above these features comprised a mixture of soil and Brickearth and contained post-medieval and early modern finds.
Several early modern features were identified; they included remains of the Victorian house, its foundation trenches, and a possible pipe-trench. Another feature was seen in section only and is of uncertain function. A layer above early modern features contained 18th- and 19th-century finds. Modern features included foundations and pipe-trenches.
Any deposits of archaeological interest in the centre of the site had been removed by the construction of the 20th-century building. The disturbance, caused by the construction of the building, was at least 1.6m deep and was up to 3m deep in the southern area, due to the presence of cellars. Outside the footprint of the 20th-century building, archaeological features survived in trenches 3 and 5. These features may have been of prehistoric date but their function is unknown.
