Border Archaeology (BA) was instructed by Bristol Water to undertake Archaeological Observation (AO; controlled Watching Brief) of groundworks in respect of drill pits (DPs) and pipeline installation works for the Wells to Glastonbury Resilience Main (WGM/WGRM) (NGR: ST 52735 46297 (N); NGR: ST 50445 39753 (S) The AO was carried out between the 14th February and the 3rd August 2022 and this report details the results for submission for approval in the first instance to Stephen Membery Senior Historic Environment Officer (SHEO) for South West Heritage Trust (SWHT).In brief, the WGM scheme ran of a distance of roughly 8km across open farmland at an approximate height of between c. 8m-37m AOD. The route was walked on the 13th and 14th of January 2021 to provide detailed locations for landowners for the ensuing programme of works (BA 2021a); an additional survey was carried out on the 10th August to take into account changes to the planned route. These surveys were informed by the Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment (ADBA) (BA 2020a) previously submitted in connection the scheme and identified a number of areas of potential archaeological significance or 'evidence bases' (EBs) either within or close to sections of the pipeline route. The scheme started at a valve junction to the S of the A371 road on the western outskirts of Wells (NGR: ST 52735 46297) and ran SW direction to a point (NGR: ST 52599 46027) at which point crossed Henley Lane to run through the fields to the SE, crossing the site of a medieval/post-medieval mill complex (EB1). The route then crossed the River Axe (NGR: ST 52700 45826) and continued SE, skirting EB2, where medieval settlement and associated industrial activity had previously been identified. It then crossed the B3139 (NGR: ST 52803 45645) to run a short distance SE before turning E and crossing Gypsy Lane (NGR: ST 52921 45412). The route continued through a field containing relict cultivation features/field boundaries (EB3) before crossing Burcott Lane (NGR: ST 53154 45419) and extending SSW to SS across farmland, traversing a second with evidence of relict cultivation features/field boundaries (EB4). To the N of Coxley Wick (NGR: ST 52970 44373), the pipeline route once again crossed Burcott Lane and continued to the SW across four fields. Crossing Lane (NGR: ST 52468 43923), the route continued to the SW across several fields and the River Sheppey (NGR: ST 52119 43393). Previous work in this area revealed a significant quantity of lithic material (EB6), possibly indicative of a Bronze Age settlement to the E of Melsbury Farm. These fields are additionally situated approximately 450m to the W of Coxley Vineyard (EB5), where early Romano-British agricultural boundary ditches had been excavated. Continuing SW before crossing Polsham Lane on the eastern outskirts of Polsham village (NGR: ST 51528 42777) between two potential medieval settlement foci (EB7, EB8). From this point, the route ran roughly parallel to the A39 across a number of roads and through two fields where the geophysical survey had previously recorded features of potential archaeological interest (EB9 & EB10). Here, the route ran to the E of EB11, where several potential water-crossings, evidence of prehistoric enclosures, Iron Age settlement (including Glastonbury Lake Village) and the potential for deeply stratified buried peat deposits have been identified. To the N of Glastonbury (NGR: ST 50940 41228), the pipeline route crossed the River Hartlake and the medieval flood defence of Fountains Wall (EB12), continuing SW over fields and several drove roads before turning SE (NGR: ST 50209 40238) to cross the A39.
Children et al. (Sun,) studied this question.