EDO6505 - Southern Counties Shooting Ground, Long Ash Lane, Wardon Hill, Sydling St Nicholas; monitoring and recording 2016

A scheme of archaeological monitoring and recording was commissioned by Alder King LLP on behalf of British Solar Renewables during the laying of cable connecting a proposed solar farm to the National Grid. This was required by the planning permission. The only heritage assets in the vicinity was thought to be a medieval deer park at Frome St Quentin and there was the possibility that part of the Dorchester to Ilchester Roman Road ran near the site. Fifteen 25m trenches were excavated by 360 degree excavator fitted with a toothless bucket to a depth of 1.26m. The route of the trenching ran east to west and involved direct drilling to the opposite western side of the A37. Where the trench ran along an easement, it was not fully stripped, preventing identification of archaeological features. Five undated ditches were found in five trenches. These were likely to be former unrecorded field boundaries. No further information was recorded. No finds were recovered. There was no evidence of either the medieval deer park or the Roman Road.