SWX8491 - Povington Pit, Steeple Parish, Dorset (SY895824): Archaeological Review.

The archaeological assessment of land adjacent to Povington Pit Quarry, Steeple parish, Dorset, comprised a review of data held in the County Sites and Monuments Record and, Historical Building Records, Historic maps and other Documentary sources and a site walkover survey. The application area extends over c. 8.5 hectares, positioned on land which is variable in topography, but on tertiary sands, clays and gravels of the Poole Formation, part of the Hampshire Basin complex. The site lies adjacent to the existing Povington Quarry pit and has variable land-usage. There are no previously recorded archaeological sites or monuments within the application area. However, the immediate landscape around the site has been subjected to a number of recent archaeological investigations by AC archaeology, including the identification of an extensive Iron Age and Romano-British settlement at North Hills plantation approximately 200m to the east, and a bank and ditch earthwork of possibly Romano-British date immediately to the south. Other archaeological sites and monuments over a broader area include an Iron Age settlement and a number of Bronze Age barrows. There are no listed buildings either within, or in close proximity to the site. An assessment of historic maps and documentary sources dating from the 16th century concluded that the topography of the droveways leading north, south and west from West Creech Farm suggest that earlier settlement may be present along them. There is no surface evidence for buried settlement, industrial or funerary-type archaeological activity within the application area, and a number of the individual land units are either inaccessible, are to remain unaffected by extraction, or current ground conditions mean they would not be conducive to trench investigation. Although it cannot be demonstrated conclusively that archaeological activity is present or absent, this can best be confirmed or disproved by a programme of archaeological field evaluation. It is considered unlikely, that on heathland soils geophysical survey would produce clear and unambiguous results without the need for subsequent intrusive investigation. Therefore it is proposed to move directly to an evaluation scheme based on machine-excavated trenches in those areas where it is possible to do so. The area available amounts to around 55% of the total application area. The 20th century pumphouse in Plot 7 may warrant further, non-intrusive survey. These proposals will conform to a detailed specification submitted as Appendix 1 to this report.