EDO5902 - Land at Walford Farm and West of Cranborne Road, Wimborne Minster; evaluation 2014

An evaluation comprising 45 trenches excavated over seven fields east and west of Cranborne Road. Early Neolithic activity was indicated by a spread of pottery and burnt flint, and a small fire pit. Ditches recorded in the north-eastern part of the site were interpreted as a Bronze Age enclosure on the summit of the south-facing slope. Shallow gullies were recorded in the interior of the presumed enclosure, and two large storage pits to the west. Evidence of medieval activity was seen in three places. Domestic/agricultural activity possibly related to a farmstead on the north side of Burt’s Hill. An area with numerous ditches, pits, post-holes and other features, from which a large amount of slag was recovered, interpreted as an extensive area of possibly industrial activity. An area of medieval ditches on the east side of Cranborne Road may be an extension of industrial activity or agricultural in origin.