SDO15247 - Stokeford Farm Solar, East Stoke, Wareham, Dorset. Archaeological Evaluation Report

‘Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by RPS Planning and Development, on behalf of the Holme Estate, to undertake an archaeological trial trench evaluation ahead of a planning determination for a new solar array on land at Stokeford Farm, East Stoke, near Wareham, Dorset (NGR 387346, 87646). The work, which comprised the machine-excavation of 39 no. trial trenches, was undertaken between the 13th and 17th of April 2015. This fieldwork followed a geophysical survey (Stratascan 2015) across the proposal area, with trenches arrayed across the site so as to target both selected geophysical anomalies and apparently ‘blank’ areas, to provide an assessment of the reliability of the geophysical results and to evaluate the archaeological potential of the proposal site. The evaluation revealed an extensive north-north-west to south-south-east aligned strip field system predominately occupying the eastern portion of the proposal site, and of a type typically associated with the Late Romano-British to early medieval period. The fills of the ditches forming this agricultural landscape did not imply a close proximity to associated settlement.’