EDO5792 - Former Milldown School, Blandford Forum; evaluation 2012

Evaluation of a proposed development site comprising the machine excavation of five trenches, each 30m long by 1.8m wide. Topsoil was removed by machine and ceased when archaeological deposits or subsoil were encountered. Linear features and other archaeological deposits were encountered in Trench 2 and Trench 5. Struck flint and Neolithic/Bronze Age pottery were recovered, the pottery in particularly significant quantities in Trench 5. A further three shorter trenches were excavated to clarify the extent of archaeological activity. Features recorded included a possible later Neolithic/Bronze Age enclosure and a probable boundary ditch of possible prehistoric date. The flint recovered was comparable to earlier Neolithic material recovered from the wider vicinity, suggesting a core tool production site nearby. Late Neolithic Grooved Ware and early Bronze Age pottery, including Beaker pottery, and a Middle Bronze Age thatch weight were recovered.