EDO7617 - A31 Road Widening Scheme, Temporary Compound, Ringwood Road, St Leonards and St Ives; observations and recording 2021

Observations and recording in August 2021 by AOC Archaeology Group during construction of a temporary compound for the A31 widening scheme, part of the A31 Ringwood Improvement Scheme Project. No archaeological features, deposits or finds were observed. A lack of substantial subsoil across the site was noted, suggesting truncation, likely to have been caused by post-medieval to modern agricultural activity. Whilst there was no obvious presence of plough furrows, agricultural activity may be the source of the mottling of the upper levels of the natural geology with past ploughing causing a horizon of mixed deposits of natural and subsoil. The parallel linear features aligned east to west which are visible on LiDAR data could evidence of ploughing patterns within the site.