SDO21206 - Dorset Middle Stour River Catchment Aerial Investigation and Mapping Project.

‘The landscape surrounding the Stour Valley in East Dorset is predominantly rural, comprising areas of distinct and contrasting landscape character. Chalk downlands give way to rolling pastures and stream-cut combes and the wide floodplain of the River Stour. The rich archaeology of the area has a long time-depth that reflects the human story of the place as well as its fragility and vulnerability to external factors such as modern farming regimes and expanding urban development. This report presents the results of a systematic survey of a range of archaeological sites visible as earthworks, cropmarks and structures on aerial photographs and lidar imagery within a 213 square kilometre area of East Dorset incorporating the middle section of the Stour river catchment, including its tributaries, the rivers Tarrant and Winterborne. Parts of the project area fall within the Dorset and Cranborne Chase National Landscapes, designated and protected for their Outstanding Natural Beauty. The project has significantly enhanced existing baseline data through the mapping, interpretation and recording of 2,258 archaeological sites, of which 1,827 were previously unrecorded in county or national databases. The results will be available for use by local communities, researchers, policy makers and managers of the historic and natural environment.’