SDO15179 - Golden Cap Water Supply Renewal, West Dorset. Archaeological Watching Brief, September-December 2005

‘An archaeological watching brief was carried out by Terrain Archaeology between September and December 2005 during the renewal of the water supply for the National Trust’s Golden Cap Estate, West Dorset. Over 5.9 km of pipeline was observed and very few finds or features were encountered. The majority of features observed were stone-filled and ceramic field drains. Several former bank and ditch field boundaries were recorded. In the vicinity of St Gabriel’s House and Upcot Farm the probable remnants of garden features, including terracing and flower beds, were found but no apparent sign of earlier structures or settlement evidence. A sparse scatter of artefacts was found, mainly post-medieval pottery. A small number of abraded medieval sherds were found close to Stanton St Gabriel, Norchard and Upcot Farms. Prehistoric flint and chert was notable by its almost complete absence. Overall, the impression gained from the results of the watching brief is that this area was not a focus of activity in the past and has probably always been marginal land, thanks to its steep slopes, poor soils and unstable geology.’