Watching Brief at Dairy Extension, Holditch Court Farm, Thorncombe, Dorset

A controlled area excavation was undertaken at Holditch Court Farm, Thorncombe, Dorset as part of/ in advance of a planning application for an extension of an existing dairy. The client requested the works in anticipation that there would be need for an archaeological planning condition on the development, given that there had been for the adjoining barn (dairy). The archaeological strip work was undertaken under the control and supervision of Dr. S.H. Walls on the 14th May 2025. All work was carried out in accordance with a Written Scheme of Investigation (Boyd 2025), and in line with Dorset Council standards and guidance for archaeological investigations. A service trench measuring 0.7m wide was exposed to the south of the stripped area. The trench contained a blue alkathene water pipe, which snaked in and out of the stripped area, presumably as it had been moled. No other archaeological features were noted, although to the south of the site, where the topsoil was shallower, several irregular and shallow slightly loose variations in the natural, may have reflected the former presence of tree cover over this part of the site. Finds recovered from the topsoil of the site included 1x brick fragment (23g), 2x Fe nail head/nails (9g), 1x Fe lump (7g) and 3x tertiary grey flint flakes (28g), 5x shattered natural flint/chert flakes (70g) were also recovered. There were other natural flints noted, but these were not collected as it was clear that they were natural. The natural flint/chert on site tended to be white to slightly reddish-yellow in colour. All of the finds are of low value/significance and will be discarded or returned to the landowner. The monitoring works did not encounter any significant archaeological deposits or finds.