Four Winds, Dorchester Road, Drayton St Leonard, Oxfordshire OX10 7BJ - Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief

Watching brief maintained during foundation excavations for a new extension to the existing house. The area under a former conservatory was not monitored because its construction had removed any potential for surviving archaeology here. Keevill Heritage Ltd carried out an archaeological watching brief at Four Winds, Dorchester Road, Drayton St Leonard, in October 2022 on behalf of the owners. Excavation of the foundation trenches for a new single-storey extension were observed, except where a previous conservatory had already removed any potential for survival of archaeological remains. The local geology (the Northmoor sand and gravel Member) was found immediately beneath the thin topsoil throughout the observed excavations, and neither archaeological features nor artefacts (even of relatively modern date) were observed. The watching brief therefore provided a negative archaeological result despite known cropmarks nearby.