SWX8496 - Summary Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief at Lower Bond Street, Melcombe Regis, Weymouth, Dorset. March 1999.

The archaeological potential of the area round Lower Bond Street, Melcombe Regis, Weymouth, Dorset (site code DTS6) was classified as high by a desk-based assessment conducted by Southern Archaeological Services Ltd (SAS) on behalf of the developer, clients of Hill Samuel Asset Management and Shearer Property Developments Ltd. A phase of field evaluation was specified by Weymouth & Portland Borough Council (WPBC), acting on the advice of the Dorset County Archaeologists Office (CAO). The contract for this work was also awarded to SAS. The evaluation revealed much evidence of 19th-20th century disturbance (road surfaces and cobbled areas, a well and a number of walls) as well as natural sand overlying clay and shingle, but no evidence of waterfront structures were observed. None of the trenches contained identifiably pre-Modern archaeology, although one unstratified fragment of Late Mediaeval sandyware was recovered, and a sherd of Early Mediaeval sandyware was recovered from a Modern feature. The planning authority decided that the results of the evaluation did not justify further archaeological work to the north of Lower Bond Street, but that the street itself and the area to the south of it should be the subject of an archaeological watching brief. The contract for this work was also awarded to SAS after groundworks had started. Observations were carried out between 18 December 1998 and 21 January 1999. No archaeological features were identified, but the pottery recovered included Mediaeval and Post-Mediaeval types of several deferent origins: local, French (Saintonge), Dutch and Spanish. Natural deposits were sand, and the site lies at an approximate height of 2m above OD. The grid reference is NGR 6785 7900 (centred).