Monument record MDO41152 - Possible post medieval drive, Wimborne St Giles

Parallel ditched linear features within the grounds of St Giles House are visible on 1940s aerial photographs.The features form a straight but broken line, corresponding with a historic trackway to the east and continuing on a broadly east to west alignment towards St Giles House and Home Farm. The features may be part of a former avenue or formal drive associated with the main house and replaced by the extant avenue to the south. Alternatively the features may be part of a former road or trackway access to Home Farm. They are likey to be late medieval to post medieval in origin. The features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

Parallel ditched linear features within the grounds of St Giles House are visible on 1940s aerial photographs (1).

The features are narrow and rectilinear in form and arranged in two parallel rows around 8.5m apart; in 1946 the rows appear to be broken or interspersed by trees (1). At their east end the features correspond with a section of a historic trackway within Drive Plantation, recorded on the OS 1st Edition map (2). There is no suggestion of the track or drive continuing into the parkland by the late 19th century and there is no obvious relationship between the arrangement of trees within this area of the parkland (2).

The features may be part of a former avenue or formal drive associated with the main house and replaced by a later avenue 100m to the south and on the same alignment. Alternatively the features may be part of a former road or trackway access to Home Farm. They are likey to be late medieval to post medieval in origin.

The features are under tree cover on current Google Earth imagery and no longer visible. A 20th century field boundary broadly respects their northern edge The features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP.

<1> Royal Air Force, 25-SEP-45, RAF/106G/UK842 V 5077-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDO16039.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1864, 1886, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch one (Map). SDO10239.

Record last edited

Jun 8 2018 1:26PM