SDO14123 - Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Water Transfer Scheme: Archaeological Background and Historic Landscape Assessment

Ecus Ltd have been commissioned by Atkins to undertake and compile a detailed archaeological background and historic landscape assessment for a proposed water main linking Corfe Mullen Water Treatment Works (WTW) with Camp Hill reservoir near Salisbury. The proposed route extends for approximately 64 km through Dorset and Wiltshire including the Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The accessible parts of the water main route have been walked by a qualified and experienced heritage consultant as part of this study. The work undertaken has revealed that the landscape along the route of the proposed water main supports rich archaeological resource with numerous monuments, Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs), Listed Buildings and potential sites of archaeological interest identified within the study area. This report assesses these data and discusses the archaeology and historic landscape in general as well as the potential for encountering archaeological features within the development footprint. The study of available archaeological data identified several archaeological hot spots along the water main route, including several potentially complex prehistoric landscapes at Summerslade Down in Wiltshire and at Buzbury rings in Dorset. In addition to this, well preserved elements of multi period landscapes and the historic development of both visible fieldscapes and settlements were assessed.