EHG3120 - Trial trenching and watching brief at Croft 119, Clachtoll

A second phase of evaluation took place following an initial desk-based assessment walkover survey in July 2009 which concluded there was high potential for the presence of buried archaeological features. Three trial trenches were excavated over the proposed house site, comprising a 5% evaluation of the development area, with no archaeological features being identified. A watching brief then took place during topsoil stripping for the southern part of the access road. The access road crossed a dyke that had previously been identified during the walkover survey providing two sections through the dyke. Three areas of late 19th-century midden deposits and a V-shaped land drain were also noted. The trial trenching proved that the terrain underlying the windblown sand in this particular area is steep and unlikely to be the location of settlement structures. However it remains a possibility that early settlement was located in the general vicinity which could be affected by any future developments involving excavation into the sand. <1>