| Abstract: |
An archaeological excavation was carried out at Old Park Farm, Waterlooville between April and November 2008 in advance of a 38.31ha mixed development by Taylor Wimpey plc. The excavation involved the stripping of 29,647sq m of grassland in areas where geophysical survey and evaluation trenches had located archaeology.
Trench A was 11,290sq m, with an unexcavated tree protection zone running diagonally across it. Trench B was 12,670sq m in size, also with an unexcavated tree protection zone running across it. Trench C consisted of three trenches totalling 5687 sq m.
The excavation method consisted of stripping off the top soil and plough soil until archaeology or the natural was revealed. Some 150mm of topsoil was removed and the plough soil beneath was carefully stripped off in spits, each of some 20mm, until archaeological features were revealed. At the request of the Local Planning Authority as soon as an area had been stripped it was subject to a metal detector survey with a Laser Scout and all metalwork was removed from features.
Environmental samples of soils and archaeological deposits were taken as advised by Dr M Allen, the Environmental Co-ordinator for the site, who visited the site once the trenches had been stripped and advised on the recovery of samples and inspected the buried soils and sediments. The centre of the site revealed a small farmstead marked by a complex Late Iron Age—early Romano-British ditch system, cut into the underlying London Clay. The earliest phase was marked by a scatter of pits and two ditches possibly forming a funnel shaped entrance into an enclosure just outside the excavated area. The next phase, mid-1st century AD, was marked by a single curvilinear ditch with evidence for a structure inside a small enclosure, together with some waterholes. This was replaced with a sub-circular enclosure placed fairly symmetrically over the earlier curvilinear ditch. The ditches may have formed a defence around the settlement, delineated fields or stock enclosures, or functioned as drains to keep the central area of the settlement dry. A number of large deep pits seem to have functioned as waterholes, as they contained little evidence for the deposition of cess or domestic rubbish. Most of the artefacts recovered were found in the ditches, which showed evidence of fairly rapid silting, and some re-cutting. One shallow pit within the enclosure had been filled with the smashed and burnt fragments of two querns and a Southern Spanish amphora. In the south part of the site a stream had created a gravel plain which was a focus for activities.
The focus of the settlement then shifted slightly north where the ditches and waterholes of a sub-rectangular enclosure showed evidence of occupation into the 2nd century AD, although the ditches may have originally been contemporary with the sub-circular enclosure. The ditches of both enclosures were filled by the mid-2nd century, the upper levels containing a number of artefact-rich assemblages marked by large amounts of pottery and quern fragments. A few fragments of slag suggest blacksmithing took place during the later phases of the site.
Non-local British wares formed 0.1% of the pottery assemblage by sherd count and imports formed 2.4% of the assemblage suggesting the farmstead was situated towards the lower end of the social scale.
After the enclosure ditches had finally silted up settlement seems to have ceased but later, perhaps in the late roman period, a large deep waterhole was dug at the lowest point of the site on the crossing point of two early ditches. It was provided with a flint-cobbled surround which would have prevented stock sinking into the mud. A second waterhole, perhaps for use by the stock herders, was dug nearby.
During the medieval period the area became heavily wooded and formed part of the Forest of Bere. |
