SWX8600 - Preston Tank Sewer, Weymouth, Dorset, Preliminary Desk-Based Archaeological Assessment

‘Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Wessex Water to undertake a preliminary archaeological desk-based assessment of the proposed site of a new tank sewer located to the south of Preston, Dorset (SY 703826). The purpose of the assessment was to collate available date on a Roman villa located immediately to the north of the proposed tank sewer, to gauge the likelihood of archaeological deposits extending into the area of the proposed works, and to propose suitable mitigation measures. The assessment concludes that all discoveries relating to the villa have been made to the north of the proposal area. However, the known deposits are sufficiently close to the boundary of the proposal area to hold the potential to extend into it. Mitigation measures are also considered; in the light of the confined nature of the site, the presence of a surfaced track, and an existing sewer passing through the area, along with the possibility of dumping of refuse into the area, it is suggested that the hand-excavation of trial trenches is likely to be the most reliable and practical method of further evaluating the archaeological potential of the site.’