EDO4933 - Christchurch Castle New Bowls Pavilion, Christchurch; watching brief 1987

In October 1987 Keith Jarvis undertook a watching brief of an area 18m x 11m during the removal of topsoil by contractors to the top of archaeological levels. The area is within the motte and bailey. The soil contained varied deposits of sandy loams, often with chalk fragments. An undated pit was cut into clay make-up layers and one observation suggested a small surviving area of clay floor levels truncated by other features. The layers were often shelving at low angles. These observations may relate to the Castle ditch, although finds were very sparse, limited to two sherds of 13th-14th century cook-pots.