SDO12465 - Summary Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief. National Rivers Authority Flood Alleviation Scheme, Wimborne Minster, Dorset. 1993-4.

A flood alleviation scheme for the centre of Wimborne Minster along the flood plain of the River Allen was carried out by the National Rivers Authority. A field evaluation failed to pinpoint any areas of high archaeological potential, but did discover clay and peat deposits. An initial assessment indicated their potential for yielding valuable environmental information on the past exploitation of this area. A watching brief on the construction works found evidence of flood plain management in the north, and detected changes in the course of the Poole road in the south. Pollen analysis of two core samples from alluvial deposits in the north of the site revealed Neolithic and Mediaeval activity. Column 1, from the north, dates from between the Middle Holocene and the late Neolithic; column 2, from nearer the centre of town, has been tentatively dated to the Mediaeval period.