SDO10090 - An Archaeological Watching Brief at Hollands House, Poundbury Road, Dorchester, Dorset

AC Archaeology carried out an archaeological watching brief in October 1997 during groundworks to create a car park extension on land adjoining Hollands House, Poundbury Road, Dorchester. Topsoil stripping revealed two large archaeological features possibly dating to the mid-late Bronze Age, plus modern quarrying disturbance and localised areas of truncation. Although the site lies close to areas of extensive Romano-British occupation, no evidence was found of Roman activity within the site boundaries. A relatively large assemblage of finds was recovered during cleaning to define the two features - a large pit and a possible curvilinear feature. The assemblage predominantly consisted of worked flint but included animal bone and pottery of the mid-late Bronze Age. The nature and condition of the material may indicate a flint working site in the vicinity. The groundworks were minimally intrusive, and the raising of ground levels to create the car park extension has ensured the protection of these remains.