SDO14079 - Knighton Farm Golf Course, Poole, Dorset. Practice Areas. Archaeological Evaluation.

‘An archaeological evaluation by machine trial trenching was undertaken in advance of the second stage (Practice Areas) of a proposed golf course development at Knighton Farm, Poole. The site lies in an area of high archaeological potential in the Stour Valley. The Practice Areas cover two field parcels and extends over approximately 12.5 hectares (centred on SZ 04159790). Overall the survey revealed archaeological deposits and finds of Early and Later Prehistoric date, extending over the greater part of the survey area. A large number of subsoil features were revealed cut into the underlying gravels and only two of the eight trenches revealed no features at all. The features took the form of postholes, ditches and a pit and included two circular structures. Several of the features cannot be securely dated because of the absence of finds recovered from them. Finds which were recovered, however, included small amounts of worked and burnt flint, part of a quernstone and pottery dated Late Bronze Age and Middle to Late Iron Age. The ceramic evidence has allowed the two structures to be dates to the Iron Age. A single bulk sample taken from a pit inside one of the structures has provided a small collection of grain, chaff and weed seeds. The evidence for Iron Age activity is most coherently represented within the evaluation area and it would appear that the Practice Areas correlate with a zone of extensive later prehistoric settlement. The evidence for Iron Age activity within the First 9-hole loop was negligible and thus the current evaluation has identified a new element in the local archaeological landscape. There is evidence that some of the features encountered relate to post Iron Age activity; although they are generally not well dated they probably relate to medieval agricultural activity. Overall, the evaluation has demonstrated that archaeological deposits extend across the greater part of the survey area. Some of these deposits will undoubtedly be affected by the current development proposals, that is, during the excavations for sand-traps and the pond. Outside the main landscaping zones (which make-up only some 2.8% of the total development area) preserved archaeological deposits should remain unaffected by the development since it is understood that there are no plans for intensive planting or drainage schemes associated with this phase of the golf course.’