EDO4908 - Land Adjacent to Millhams Street, Christchurch; evaluation (Trench 3)

AC Archaeology conducted an archaeological evaluation in advance of residential development of land adjacent to Millhams Street, Christchurch, Dorset during June 1999. The site is located on the north side of Christchurch High Street and lies within the defensive circuit of the Saxon burh. The evaluation comprised the machine excavation of three trenches. The positions of Trenches 1 and 2 was designed to assess areas of the site to be directly affected by new buildings, while Trench 3 was located close to the presumed alignment of the Saxon and medieval defensive circuit. Each trench was approximately 1m wide. The modern and post-medieval layers were removed by machine on to the top of the natural alluvial deposits. Trench 3 was aligned approximately E-W, was 4.5m long, and was excavated to a depth of 0.56m. No evidence of a bank or ditch associated with the late Saxon burh was identified. A clay and timber lined feature was identified at the eastern end of the trench [F317]. It extended beyond the northern edge of the trench and may represent a post medieval earth closet.