Melrose, 43 Hound Street, Sherbourne, Dorset

In November 2001, Oxford Archaeology (OA) carried out an archaeological field evaluation at Melrose, 43 Hound Street, Sherborne, Dorset (NGR ST 640 167), in advance of proposals to redevelop and refurbish the property. The archaeological work was commissioned by Laurence Keen, of John Stark and Crickmay on behalf of the property's owners, E and L W van Geest, Children’s Settlement. The evaluation consisted of the excavation of ten exploratory geotechnical test pits in the garden of the 17th century house, and one within the building itself.
A medieval possible boundary ditch was revealed, sealed beneath a soil layer, probably formed when the 17th century garden was laid out. A possible cess pit of post-medieval date was identified cutting this soil. Traces of a gravel path and a former turf line were observed sealed by a later phase of soil landscaping, probably of 18th- century date or later