SDO14941 - Battery Bank (SM 29085), Worgret Heath, Purbeck, Dorset. Archaeological Mitigation Report

‘Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Scottish and Southern Energy Group to undertake an archaeological investigation during the replacement of two 33kV electricity poles. The electricity poles lie within the Scheduled Monument known as Battery Bank at Wareham, Purbeck, Dorset (SM 20985), located at National Grid Reference (NGR) 391003, 087390. Battery Bank comprises a linear earthwork running east to west along a ridge separating the Frome and Piddle Valleys. The monument is poorly dated, and could relate to activity from the later prehistoric to early Saxon period. Two similar linear features are recorded to the south-west and are generally regarded as a series of trackways likely to have related to stock control rather than to delineation or defence.The only known prior archaeological work on this monument was undertaken in 1956 and Scheduled Monument Consent was granted for the development, on condition that the works were monitored and controlled by an archaeologist. The archaeological mitigation comprised the monitoring of four machine excavated trenches during groundworks associated with the replacement of two existing electricity poles within the Scheduled area. The trenches were machine excavated under constant archaeological supervision to the formation level. Evidence indicating the remnants of an up-cast bank was recorded in Trenches 1 and 3, and within Trench 4 the ditch was partially exposed and excavated. No datable archaeological material was recovered from the excavations and as such has not provided any further archaeological data for the construction, use and nature of Battery Bank (SM 29085). The fieldwork was undertaken between 16th May 2011 and 7th June 2011.’