EDO5378 - 41-45 High Street, Shaftesbury; observations and recording 2002

A watching brief undertaken by Terrain Archaeology for Maritime & Provincial Ltd to meet the conditions of planning permission (2/2001/0034) for residential development. Groundworks included the demolition of a modern extension to the rear of the existing buildings, the reduction of levels by up to 1m over parts of the site, and the sinking of piles for the foundations of the new buildings. An ice well of probable 18th century date was recorded in the garden of No 45. This structure consisted of a vertical stone-lined shaft 1.9m in diameter, with a domed brick roof. It was re-used as a soakaway, with two drains leading into it. One drain contained a group of 1830's pottery, indicating that the ice well must have gone out of use in the early 19th century.