EDO6323 - Waterditch Solar Farm, Lower Waterditch, Christchurch; observations and recording 2015

Observations and recording of digging of approximately 775m cable trenches and groundworks for a substation and transformer. Topsoil varied in thickness form 0.28 to 0.35m, with the greatest depth at the northern end of the site. Across most of the site ploughsoil lay over a subsoil of friable, mottled yellow and brown sandy loam and silty sand which varied in thickness from 0.08m in the north to 0.2m in the central and southern part of the site, though at the southern corner the ploughsoil lay directly over natural geology comprising yellow sand and flint gravels. A wide, shallow pit or pond was observed in a cable slot towards the northern corner of the site. This feature was considered likely to be modern. Two ditches were observed in a cable trench at the southern end of the site. These features had very different profiles but appeared to run parallel to each other. A third ditch was also recorded, on a similar orientation. No dating evidence was recovered but the archaeologists on site considered the ditches likely to be relatively modern, and noted the tithe map (1841) and first edition Ordnance Survey map (1870) show field boundaries and an enclosure which appear to coincide with the ditches.