Wilkinson, K. N. (2021). Central Winchester Regeneration Project: updated interim integrated geoarchaeological report. ARCA. https://doi.org/10.5284/1113558. Cite this using datacite

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Title:		 Central Winchester Regeneration Project: updated interim integrated geoarchaeological report
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Series:		 ARCA unpublished report series
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arca1-514135_209729.pdf (10 MB) : Download
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https://doi.org/10.5284/1113558
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Publication Type:		 Report (in Series)
Abstract
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Abstract:		 Borehole survey and palaeoenvironmental assessment. A geoarchaeological borehole survey was carried out of the Central Winchester Regeneration (CWR) site by ARCA and their partners in August 2020. Thirteen boreholes were drilled (ARCA CWR BH01–13) through the base of 1.2m deep archaeological test pits and to the base of the Quaternary (the last 2.6 million years) sediment stack. Attempts were made to drill a further two boreholes, but these had to be abandoned because of the presence of >0.30m of reinforced concrete (ARCA CWR BH05) and the density of near surface services (ARCA CWR BH14). The Pioneer 3 dynamic probe drilling rig used to drill the boreholes collected continuous 112mm diameter cores which were later photographed, described and sub-sampled at the University of Winchester. Sub-samples for palynological (51) and plant macroremain (22) assessment were submitted to Quest, University of Reading for study; officers of Pre-Construct Archaeology (PCA) assessed ceramic artefacts recovered from the cores, while ARCA examined sub-samples for molluscan assessment (15), bone extracted from the cores and made laboratory-based sedimentological and geochemical measurements on a further suite of sub-samples (193). The stratigraphy of the site was divided into five major and four minor stratigraphic units (SU). These comprise Chalk of the Lewes Nodular Chalk Formation (SU1), which subcrops at between 7.63 and 10.80m below ground level (bgl). This Mesozoic (c. 90 million year old) stratum is overlain by sands and gravels of River Terrace Deposits 1 (SU3), a late Pleistocene stratum (possibly 70,000 years old) which extends upwards to between 4.20 and 6.85m bgl. In turn alluvial deposits (sands and silt [SU4a], peat (SU4b], tufa [SU4c] and silt/clay [SU4d]) continue the sequence until between 4.2–2.1m bgl. Although not dated as part of this project, the alluvium likely dates from the Early Holocene (perhaps as early as 8500 BC) through to the Iron Age, and indeed in some parts of the site continued to form even after the foundation of Venta Belgarum (this latter inference on the basis of geochemical signals for the use of copper, lead and zinc). Preservation of biological remains in the alluvium of SU4 is variable, but such sub-fossils could provide useful palaeoenvironmental information to better understand prehistoric and early historic human activity in the area that is now Winchester. The primary focus of the present project was on archaeological deposits (SU5) which subcrop above the SU4 alluvium and continue the sediment sequence to 1.20–2.05m of the present ground surface. The thickness of archaeological strata increases from 2–3m in the west of the CWR area to >4m in the east (i.e. beneath the present bus station), while the deposits are a heterogenous mixture of poorly sorted gravels to clays with a high artefact concentration, through organic-rich silts and clays to structural remains. Biological preservation is good to moderate across the entire CWR site, while the nature of that preservation appears dependent of sediment property rather than depth. The archaeological strata are of considerable archaeological and palaeoenvironmental significance – locally and nationally. One borehole drilled in Kings Walk passed through 4.6m of alluvial sediments containing artefacts, as well as geochemical and sedimentological evidence of human activity to reach River Terrace Deposits 1 at >6m bgl. It is highly likely that the former strata are filled of an artificial channel, possibly that once running along Middle Brook Street.
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Author:		 Keith N Wilkinson
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Publisher:		 ARCA
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Other Person/Org:		 Winchester HER (OASIS Reviewer)
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Year of Publication:		 2021
Locations
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Locations:
Parish: Winchester, unparished area
Country: England
County: Hampshire
District: Winchester
Grid Reference: 448379, 129479 (Easting, Northing)
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BOREHOLE SURVEY (Event)
ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLING (Event)
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OASIS Id: arca1-514135
Report id: 2021-4
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Created Date
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Created Date:		 19 Oct 2023