EDO6427 - New car park, Redlands Sports Centre, Weymouth; observations and recording 2011

Observations and recording by Terrain Archaeology in March 2011 during groundworks associated for a new car park. The presence of Roman remains at Redlands has been recognised since the late 1970s, and at least two previous phases of evaluation on the present site the site have demonstrated its high archaeological potential. A previous watching brief carried out during construction of the all-weather sports pitches immediately to the north, and the existing car park immediately to the west, revealed a moderately well-preserved Early-Middle Roman-British farmstead, along with a small number of prehistoric features including a Late Bronze Age cremation burial. Archaeological remains identified during the present observations have expanded this knowledge: A single boundary ditch dates to the mid-1st century AD, but there is little evidence for significant activity between the later 1st and 3rd century AD. A poorly-dated Roman 'T-shaped' corn drier or malting floor was probably disused and levelled in the Late Roman period and other Late Roman remains include part of a building footing, a large rubble- and soil-filled hollow or working area and a truncated urned cremation burial of 3rd century AD date. Small quantities of South East Dorset Orange Wiped Ware amongst the pottery assemblage suggests that use of the site continued into the late 4th/early 5th century AD. Post-medieval remains comprised a single shallow boundary ditch overlain by part of a network of comparatively recent limestone-rubble-filled land-drains.