Series: AC archaeology Ltd

An evaluation excavation at ‘At Last’, Salt Lane, Winterbourne Gunner, was undertaken in April 2013 to provide additional information prior to determining a planning application for a proposed new dwelling on the site. Two c. 10m long trenches were excavated. The application area lies close to the site of an extensive Anglo-Saxon cemetery on the north and west side of Salt Lane and was considered to have potential to contain further evidence for the cemetery. No features or artefacts of archaeological significance were present.

A record of a 1940s document store was prepared before its demolition. The building was constructed for a local firm of chartered surveyors and estate agents. The design incorporated a series of vents, and the building retained most of its original internal shelving.

The evaluation comprised two machine-dug trenches, both 25m long and 2m wide; a 3% evaluation of the application area. Three discrete features were identified in the two evaluation trenches – two postholes and one pit. While both postholes lacked dating evidence, Middle to Late Bronze Age pottery was recovered from the pit and it is feasible that the postholes may also be of prehistoric date.

A watching brief and recording of a boundary wall was undertaken during landscaping works at the rear of 1-11 Sidwell Street, Exeter. A 14th- or 15th-century boundary wall was recorded and removal of an earth bank behind the wall was monitored. A Saxo-Norman pit was exposed, and several other ditches and postholes may also be of early-medieval date. The earth bank largely comprised dumps of 18th- and 19-century material raising the ground level up within the site. Recording of the boundary wall confirmed observations made in 1994 that the majority of fabric related to the heightening of the wall when the adjacent ground level was raised. Limited evidence for a possible 19th-century building, attached to the side of the wall was also recorded.

An archaeological evaluation, consisting of four machine-excavated trenches totaling 75m in length, each 1.6m wide, was undertaken by AC archaeology Ltd on land at the rear of 1 – 4 West Street, Somerton, Somerset during January / February 2017. All four of the trenches revealed evidence for former truncation / levelling, probably as a result of the erection of buildings and other structures on the site during the 18th / 19th century and later date. A limited amount of archaeological activity was revealed, including probable former refuse or quarry pits of postmedieval origin and a remnant buried soil horizon of possible medieval date. A small quantity of artefacts of both post-medieval and medieval date was recovered from the evaluation.

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken during groundworks associated with the construction of a residential development located adjacent to the former town defences. Across all of the monitored areas 20th-century deposits were exposed overlying the natural. No archaeological deposits or features were exposed. No significant finds were present.

Archaeological monitoring was carried out by AC archaeology of the mechanical excavation of footing trenches for the construction of a terrace of four houses at the rear of 142-146 Blandford Road, Hamworthy, Poole

Watching brief undertaken as part of SMC The excavation of the foundation trenches was limited to a depth of c.800mm and revealed only extensive made ground deposits of post-medieval date and no clean natural stratum was encountered. Furthermore, the observations of the piling operations did not produce any arisings no additional archaeological information was obtained. No significant archaeological cut features or deposits were observed. No artefacts were recovered. It is noted that the rear garden of No.17 is at a higher elevation than the property immediately to the NE (15 St Peter’s Road), the two gardens separated by a retaining wall, S113, partially exposed during the foundation excavation. It is possible that the higher elevation has resulted from the levelling of excavated materials from previous construction phases. It was noted that the No.17 has an extensive basement.

Historic building recording was carried out during rebuilding of the fire-damaged property. The recording followed on from historic building recording carried out during clearance of the debris and partial dismantling of the structure. The property has medieval origins, with the earliest identified elements dating to the 17th century. The remainder of the building mainly dates from the late 18th century and later. A significant remodelling took place in c. 1870, executed in a rich Italian or French Mannerist style.

A watching brief and trench evaluation was carried out during the construction of a residential development close to the medieval centre of the town. No deposits or features were exposed, and no finds were recovered.