SDO125 - St Leonards Hospital, Ringwood, Dorset (NGR SU10200210). Archaeological evaluation

An archaeological evaluation was carried out on the site of a proposed care village, located with the current community hospital at St Leonards, near Ringwood, Dorset (SU10200210). The work was commissioned by Terence O'Rourke on behalf of their clients, CAPITEC and will form part of an overall Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to accompany the planning application. The evaluation forms the Stage III results of an archaeological survey, the first stage of which was represented by a desk-based assessment (AC doc. 0101/1/0) prepared in January 2001. This assessment concluded that the remains of some 18th century structures may remain in the north-eastern corner of the site. Five machine-excavated trenches were positioned in this area in an attempt to locate any such remains. No archaeological features or deposits were uncovered by these trenches, suggesting that any buildings had been demolished and the area cleared of rubble prior to the construction of the current hospital in the late 1940s. It was concluded that the site is one of very low archaeological significance and that the development would have no impact on the local historical resource.