SWX8297 - 8 West Street, Abbotsbury, Dorset. Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Mr R G Robson of Stoborough House, Broadwindsor, Dorset, to carry out an archaeological watching brief on the site at 8 West Street, Abbotsbury, Dorset, where the demolition of an existing building and the construction of a new building was to take place. The site is bounded to the north by the B3157 and is situated of the main part of the village. The development, centred on SY 5738 0528, lies on level ground, and the underlying geology is chalk and clay. The site was visited five times (3 and 31 July 1996; 1, 2 and 7 of August) in total. Apart from the area which had contained a petrol tank, whose removal created an unstable void in excess of 1m deep which was immediately backfilled with rubble and stone, all other footings and groundworks were either monitored during excavation, or left open to be inspected on the next visit. The first two visits saw mainly the demolition of the existing stone building which it was hoped would provide the material for the construction of the new building and bulk removal of rubble and waste which had to be taken from the site. This process was slow as the JCB machine was working in a very tight space and could only heap up enough waste for one tipper load at a time. This stand down time allowed plenty of opportunity to scan over the stockpile for any datable artefacts. None were found. No archaeological deposits earlier than the later 20th century were encountered and no finds were retained. The site has been subject to substantial disturbance and regrading during this century, and it appears on present evidence that the potential for earlier remains is low. As a site central in the village, substantial phases of redevelopment are not unexpected, but the level of preservation on this site is perhaps disappointing.