EDO5460 - Tivoli Theatre, West Borough, Wimborne Minster; observations and recording 2002

An archaeological watching brief undertaken during groundworks for an extension at the rear of the Tivoli Theatre, West Borough. The site was visited several times during late June and July 2002 while the significant groundworks were being done. The site ground level was reduced by an average 300mm across the site, which entailed the removal of the modern car park surface. Also observed was the excavation of foundation trenches down to 2m below ground level. No artefacts or features were observed during this process. A white rectangular outline was observed on the freshly machined surface, and the excavations carried out during the foundation trenches showed it was a pit-like feature. It is suggested by the contractor that this was a lime-slaking pit for the production of lime mortar. This is supported by the presence of a soft white fine paste which lined the surface of the pit. A single sherd of abraded post-medieval/modern glazed earthenware was noted in the pit’s section. The observations were completed successfully and it is apparent that no significant archaeological remains were affected by this development.