EDO4970 - Druitt Gardens (Site X5), Christchurch; excavation 1972-73

R A Hills directed an excavation at Druitt Gardens during the winter of 1972-3 in advance of the development of the Wick Lane car park. The trench was to be sited in order to investigate the SW corner of the town defences, and after eight initial trial holes a machine was used to excavate a trench c. 70m long and c. 1.8m wide. Unfortunately numerous collapses due to heavy rain caused parts of the trench to be either abandoned or cut back and the excavator was unable to interpret the stratigraphy during the excavation. The main site record is thus a problematical section drawing. Later interpretation by K. Jarvis suggests that the defensive bank may have been between 33m and 42m along the trench (ie. 9m wide). A stone revetment is indicated by the robbing debris of ironstone and mortar, although there is no robbing trench. This might be because the base of the stone revetment was slightly above the late Saxon ground level in this area. The defennsive ditch had silted up completely by the time the wall was robbed at a date not later than the 13th-14th century. An Iron Age pit and medieval pit, post holes and layers were also recorded.