EDO5582 - Village Hall, Charminster; evaluation 1997

Evaluation of the site of a proposed housing development, comprising the machine-excavation of four trenches, each 1.6m across and a total length of 45.5m equivalent to an area of 72.8m² and a 3% sample of the site. Trenches 1 and were hand cleaned, as were parts of trenches 3 and 4, and removed soil was checked for finds. In the north-east area of the site, two parallel flint walls were discovered. These were aligned NW-SE and 6m apart. One wall was 0.75m wide with a surviving height of 0.4m, and the second, only partly exposed, had a height of 0.35m. In the same trench, a stone-built domestic hearth was found. It was made up of rectangular stones covering an area of 1.50m by 1.20m, and continued beyond the trench wall. A small pit was discovered in Trench 3 of dimensions 0.95m by 0.5m and depth of 0.14m. This contained a total of 3 flint artefacts, suggesting a prehistoric date. Other finds from the site include 36 pieces of pottery, 7 pieces of worked flint, and a copper alloy strap end.