SDO12409 - Abbey Farm Pond, Abbotsbury, Dorset. De-silting February-March 2011. Archaeological Watching Brief

Trial trenching through the silts in the base of the Abbey Farm pond at Abbotsbury in Dorset, followed by continuous observation and investigation during mechanical de-siting, revealed the silts to be of wholly late 20th century formation and the base of the pond to retain no trace of a putative medieval fishpond or other monastic structures. The results corroborate anecdotal evidence that the pond has been mechanically de-silted on at least two occasions in the second half of the 20th century, operations that have removed all pre-existing silts and scoured the base of the pond sufficiently to remove all traces of such monastic structures and features that might have existed within it.