EDO6310 - 16 West Street, Bridport; watching brief 2010

Watching Brief on construction of new dwelling to fulfil a condition on planning consent. The development area measured 12m north-south by 8.7m east-west. It was levelled by JCB type excavator with 2m ditching bucket. The south and west parts of the area were disturbed by post medieval and modern building work. This area was sampled to a depth of 400mm and the bottom contained sherds of modern glass, clay pipe, charcoal, coke, brick and tile and was not further examined. A substantial stone wall was present at the eastern end of the southern foundation trench. This belonged to an older building on the site. Fills exposed by the digging of piles were examined and produced post medieval pottery, clay pipe, mortar, coal, slate and brick at a depth of 55-60cm. These finds were not retained or further recorded. Examination of a test pit dug in the northeast corner of the site and a pipe trench running along the footpath adjacent to the site measuring 750mm max deep by 400mm max wide again showed evidence of post medieval disturbance such as a brick lined pit and post medieval sump. The former was found 1.5m deeper than the surface and below the foundation cut of the adjacent wall. The lower layer of fill contained 30 sherds of pottery including a group of 14th to 15th century jug fabrics, butchered animal bones, slate, daub and oyster. A shallow gully at right angles to the pit contained 6 sherds of late 10th to early 13th century pottery. The stone wall along the eastern edge of the site was found in the east of the test pit and along pipe trench. The make up of the wall was described in detail and one sherd of late 17th century pottery found in the foundation trench.