EDO5167 - Sherborne House, Sherborne; Evaluation Trench 4

AC Archaeology conducted an archaeological evaluation in advance of the erection of scaffolding around Sherborne House, Sherborne during November 2005. The work comprised the machine excavation of five trenches measuring 2m x 1m at locations around the house in order to ascertain ground conditions prior to the erection of the scaffolding. The trenches revealed that the ground is generally stable and the only archaeological features recorded consisted of buried topsoils dating from the 12th century onwards. The underlying natural subsoil comprised weathered inferior oolite and clay. Trench 4 was positioned to the west of the house in an area of tarmac. Excavation revealed a very compacted rubble layer directly beneath the modern tarmac. Beneath this deposit three buried topsoil deposits were recorded which dated from the 12th-19th centuries. Solid geology (oolitic limestone) was encountered at c. 1.2m below the present ground surface.