EDO5682 - Poole Power Station Site, Hamworthy, Poole; observations and recording 2007

An archaeological watching brief was carried out by Terrain Archaeology in October 2007 during the excavation of geotechnical test pits on the site of Poole Power Station, Hamworthy, Poole. Of the ten test pits, only one on the southern edge of the site was deep enough to penetrate below the reclamation deposits for the power station. This revealed the top of the natural beach deposits at about 2.5 m below ground level. No archaeological features or deposits were observed. In all test pits were various dumped deposits associated with the construction of the power station. In most trenches a dump of degraded chalk rubble was encountered at a depth of between 1.1 m and 2.6 m below ground level. Above this was a mixed deposit containing charcoal rich silty sand, ash, cinders, brick rubble, limestone rubble, plastic and bands of degraded chalk. This deposit occurred between 0.6 m and 1.0 m below ground level. In many of the trenches, this deposit was sealed by a concrete raft, with steel reinforcing rods, measuring between 0.25 m and 0.6 m thick. In all trenches, overlying both the concrete rafts and dumped material, a layer of building debris between 0.25m and 0.95 m thick was encountered, clearly derived from the demolition of the power station. (1)(2)