EDO4070 - Proposed Sports Centre and Cemetery, Poundbury, Dorchester; Evaluation Trench 33

In March 1997 Wessex Archaeology undertook an archaeological field evaluation of three fields between the Bridport Road and Poundbury Road, Dorchester, proposed for development. Forty machine-excavated trenches, plus additional contingency trenches, were investigated. Trench 33 originally measured 30m by 1.6m and was excavated to a maximum depth of 2.0m. It was aligned N-S, close to the northern boundary of the site. It was extended at its northern end to encompass a total area of 88 square metres. It contained two ditches and a pit. The northernmost ditch (1.3m wide, 0.72m deep) was aligned NE-SW, and may be the continuation of ditches obsrved in Trenches 25 and 26. It contained three pieces of struck flint in its fill. The southern ditch (0.61m wide, 0.22m deep, concave profile) was aligned approximately E-W. No finds were recovered from the pit (1.25m long, 1m wide, 0.35m deep) which was located close to and north of the northern ditch.