Bridgwater Tidal Barrier Scheme, Phase 2

Oxford Archaeology was commissioned by Kier Infrastructure on behalf of the
Environment Agency and in consultation with Atkins to undertake a trialtrench
evaluation as part of the archaeological works associated with the
development of the Bridgwater Tidal Barrier.
The evaluation comprised 241 trenches and 54 geotechnical test pits which
were located across several areas. In the western part of the site, this included
Chilton Trinity Borrow Pit and a haul road which stretched from the western
to the eastern part of the site. In the eastern part of the site, trenches were
located within Pims Pill North and South and Wildmarsh Rhyne Borrow Pits.
Two further areas to the north and adjacent to the River Parrett were
subjected to geotechnical test pits. This included Fenlyns Clyce Borrow Pit to
the north-west and Pawlett Reach Borrow Pit to the north-east. A geophysical
survey identified a number of linear and sinuous features were recorded
across the site, and these were targeted by the evaluation.
The 54 geotechnical test pits have highlighted the potential for organic and
peaty soils to survive at several metres depth below the surface, buried below
tidal and freshwater alluvial deposits. This suggests that there may be high
potential for paleoenvironmental and perhaps early prehistoric remains.
It is probable that there was a small middle-late Iron Age settlement in the
area of Chilton Trinity Borrow Pit, Trenches 43-53, as a handful of ditches in
this area contained later Iron Age pottery.
A large number of archaeological features were present in the northern part
of Chilton Trinity Borrow Pit (Trenches 1-21) which may relate to a middle-late
Roman settlement. Disarticulated human bone was recorded in Trenches 1
and 17. In Trench 17, 244 fragments of fired clay were recorded including a
significant and highly unusual lump of fired clay with imprinted text. This may
have derived from a medieval or post-medieval cob house that had been
repaired with newspaper. It is possible that a cob house was located in the
vicinity of Trench 17.
A handful of features were recorded within the western haul road area
(Trenches 62-74) including over 400 sherds of Roman pottery recorded in a
buried soil in Trench 73.
A number of medieval ditches and pits were recorded in the north-eastern
part of Pims Pill North and many of these contained 11th-13th-century
pottery. These features probably relate to the deserted settlement of Pignes,
which was in existence from the late Saxon period to the 14th century.
A SW-NE possible flood defence bank and associated ditches were targeted by
Trenches 167, 175 and 183. The bank was at least 3m wide and was associated
with several ditches.