SWX8635 - Clockhouse Copse, Burton, Christchurch, Dorset: Archaeological Evaluation

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Savills International, acting on behalf of R.I. and H.J. Bartlett Ltd, to undertake an archaeological evaluation at Clockhouse Copse, Burton, in advance of a proposed extension to the existing gravel quarry and reservoir. The c. 0.77 ha site (centred on NGR SZ 169 973) forms part of Clockhouse Copse, a mature, mixed coniferous and deciduous tree plantation. The evaluation comprised three machine-excavated trenches located adjacent to the margins of the current woodland. The only observed archaeological deposits pertained to modern activity in the form of electrical service pipes and brick rubble, probably associated with military activity in the copse during the Second World War. Some of the brick rubble had apparently been re-used during construction or consolidation of the riding trackways. The only evidence of earlier archaeological activity was a single, non-diagnostic struck flint, presumably of prehistoric date, which was recovered from the topsoil in Trench 1.