EDO5117 - South Street/ Ludbourne Road, Sherborne; Evaluation Trench 2

Lindsey Archaeological Services conducted an archaeological evaluation of land at South Street/ Ludbourne Road, Sherborne during 1998 in advance of re-development of the site as Sainsbury’s Supermarket. Three trenches were excavated. ‘Trench 1, at the west end of the site, established that the area of the possible medieval mill is heavily disturbed and that significant archaeological remains are unlikely to survive. Three ditches of possible Iron Age date were recorded in Trenches 2 and 3, located in the eastern half of the site. These ditches were sealed by a possible inundation layer at a depth which is unlikely to be impacted upon by the proposed development. Later features were post-medieval to modern and appear to have removed evidence of intermediate activity.’ Trench 2 measured 8m x 1.9m and was aligned approximately E-W at the northern end of the site, parallel to Ludbourne Road. A layer of stiff green silty clay lay beneath modern make up layers. The green clay layer had been cut by two 19th-20th century rubbish pits and sealed a small ditch running N-S through the trench. This ditch was filled with dark grey silty clay containing small fragments of Iron Age pottery (1).