Monument record MDO19388 - Town Hall car park, Christchurch (site X10); Saxo-Norman ditches

A rescue excavation in the Town Hall car park, Christchurch, during 1974, revealed two ditches containing Saxo-Norman pottery. They were on broadly similar alignments (NW-SE), set approximately 5m apart and presumably terminating at the late Saxon town defences.

G. Dowdell for Poole Museums, directed the excavation of a rescue excavation in the Town Hall car park, Christchurch, during development of the area in 1974 (area 1). Another excavation (area 2), to the south of and adjacent to area 1, was partially excavated by the South Wessex Archaeological Association (SWAA). A further machine trench was used to investigate the town defensive ditches a few metres NE of site X2. These excavations were grouped together as site X10 and subsequently published in DNHAS monograph 5 (1).

The excavation in area 1 revealed two ditches [F2 & F28]. [F2] cut the mid-late Saxon oven and was probably originally over 1m deep, of which 0.1m survived. This ditch was of irregular plan with a fill of grey soil and at least two sections were evident. These were apparently broadly contemporary since a distinctive dark black primary silt occurred intermittently throughout the whole ditch. The fill contained four body sherds, three of which were of Saxo-Norman type.

[F28] was 0.6m wide and 0.5m deep with a fill of clean brown soil containing nine body sherds of Saxo-Norman type. The two ditches were on broadly similar alignments (NW-SE), set approximately 5m apart and presumably terminating at the late Saxon town defences. There were intermittent patches of loose grey gravel between the two ditches, although they are not thought to represent roadside ditches.

Many post-holes were also excavated in this area but no definite structures could be identified.

Davies, S M, 1983, Excavations at Christchurch, Dorset, 1981 to 1983; Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 36 (Article in serial). SWX4065.

<1> Jarvis, K S, 1983, Excavations in Christchurch 1969-80, 34-7 (Monograph). SWX4028.

Record last edited

Feb 17 2011 11:54AM