EDO6229 - Magistrates' Court and Police Station, Bargates, Christchurch; evaluation 2015

OASIS: In October 2015 Bournemouth University's archaeological consultancy, BUARC, were commissioned by Aster Homes Limited to undertake a programme of archaeological evaluation of a proposed development site at the Magistrates Court and Police Station at Bargates, Christchurch. The project comprised an archaeological evaluation consisting of six trenches across the proposed development site. The project has yielded significant post-medieval deposits, including walls and wall foundations, drainage features and surfaces which were recorded in Trenches 2, 3, 5 and 6. Comparison of these trenches with historic mapping has identified a number of urban post-medieval deposits and related features that correlate directly to the archaeological remains encountered within the evaluation trenches. A ditch recorded in Trench 6 may represent an earlier feature containing a mix of medieval and post-medieval pottery. Natural subsoil was recorded along the length of Trenches 1 and 4, and partially in Trenches 2, 5 and 6. Natural subsoil was not exposed in Trench 3 due to the presence of post-medieval wall deposits and associated features.