EDO5244 - Land to the rear of the Volunteer Inn, South Street, Bridport: evaluation 2001 Trench 2

AC archaeology undertook an archaeological evaluation of a plot of land to the rear of the Volunteer Inn, South Street, Bridport in advance of residential development during early April 2001. Three machine-dug trenches measuring 5m by 1.5m across. Part of two ditches aligned NE-SW and NW-SE were found, similar to a ditch containing late 12th/13th century pottery found in the adjacent Tourist Information Centre site (2). Four post-medieval pits and two drainage channels and a stone culvert, probably also of post-medieval date, were also found. (1) Trench 2 was a 5m by 1.5m trench aligned N-S in the central western part of the site. Natural alluvium was found at a depth of 0.85m beneath post-medieval and modern garden soils. A ditch oriented roughly NW-SE was exposed and a section excavated through it. Another unexcavated possible ditch running NE-SWappeared to join it on the NE side. No dating evidence was recovered from these ditches. The edge of a possible pit, which produced a single clay tobacco pipe fragment, was found in the southwest corner of the trench. (1)