SDO18963 - Ground Source Heating System, Kingston Maurward, Dorchester, Dorset. Archaeological Evaluation

‘Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Assetsphere, on behalf of Kingston Maurward College to undertake an archaeological evaluation of a 1.7 ha parcel of land located at Kingston Maurward College, Dorset. The archaeological works were carried out as a condition of planning, granted by the local planning authority for the installation of a ground source heating system. The scope of works, comprising five trial trenches, was determined in consultation with the Senior Archaeologist for Dorset Council. The evaluation followed a geophysical survey of the site which highlighted the presence of several possible features of archaeological origin, including a ring ditch. The evaluation trenches were located in order to investigate these anomalies and, for the most part, confirmed them to be variations in the natural geology as opposed to features pertaining to an archaeological footprint within the evaluation area. However, the possible ditch in Trench 4 was encountered and found to be a substantial feature measuring 0.89 m in depth and 1.42 m in width. Pottery recovered from the single clay fill of natural derivation suggests a medieval date of the feature which likely pertains to a field boundary. Within Trench 3, the possible ditch terminus was located, however the ephemeral nature of the feature and a lack of dating evidence has limited the ability to fully characterise the feature. The fieldwork was undertaken between the 22nd and 24th November 2021.’