SWX8458 - Preston Sewerage, Overcombe Down, Dorset. Archaeological Watching Brief

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Wessex Water to undertake an archaeological watching brief during the initial construction of the new Preston Sewerage Rising Main, between November 2002 and January 2003. The pipeline ran southwest from Wyke Oliver Farm, Preston to the northern edge of the Lodmoor Nature Reserve (National Grid Reference 3693 0824 to 3683 0816). The watching brief located a small number of archaeologically significant features and finds along the route of the pipeline, in the vicinity of the Southdown Farm, Preston. These discoveries included a 140m long concentration of Mesolithic/Early Neolithic worked flint/chert identified at the north-eastern end of the route and likely to have originated further uphill of the pipeline route. A small amount of similar material was also found throughout the length of the route. Also identified was part of a Middle Bronze Age cremation cemetery, consisting of two cremation burials and a feature containing pyre debris. Due to the nature of this development, the full extent and nature of the cemetery remains unclear. This cemetery is located approximately 2km to the southeast of the well-known Bronze Age Deverel Rimbury cremation burial cemetery at Rimbury, which contained over 100 burials. A large pit likely to be Middle Bronze Age date was located 300m further to the northeast, immediately to the north of Southdown Farm. The pit was found to contain small quantities of charred grain and chaff, suggesting the potential for Bronze Age settlement in the general area of Southdown Farm. Given the relatively low level of recorded archaeology in the immediate area of the pipeline route, these features clearly demonstrate a high potential for further significant archaeological sites. These may include settlement/working areas associated with the spread of Mesolithic /Early Neolithic material identified at the northern end of the route as well as further Middle Bronze Age cremation burials and associated settlement. The overall results of the assessment of the human remains, finds and environmental evidence suggested a low potential for further analysis of all classes of material. It is recommended that no further analysis is undertaken and that a short summary be submitted for publication to the Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society as an archaeological note covering the recent fieldwork.