Andover Link Main Hampshire: Geoarchaeological Monitoring of Ground Investigation Works

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by MGJV (ALM), on behalf of Southern Water, to produce a report outlining the results of geoarchaeological monitoring of Ground Investigation (GI) works , carried out to inform the proposed Andover Link Main Scheme, which will comprise the installation of a new pipeline to be built between Crab Wood Water Service Reservoir, Winchester, and River Way Water Supply Works, Andover. The monitoring was carried out in order to mitigate against impacts from the GI works on the geoarchaeological resource, and to characterise any geoarchaeological deposits present. The GI works included interventions in the valleys of the Rivers Test and Dever where a Desk Based Assessment (Wessex Archaeology 2023a) highlighted the presence of geological deposits that have high potential to contain geoarchaeological remains (artefacts, archaeological layers, environmental remains evidence etc) dating to the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic periods (c. 676-40 Kya). 14 GI boreholes in these areas were subject to geoarchaeological monitoring. This monitoring was carried out alongside a geoarchaeological test pitting evaluation (Wessex Archaeology 2024b). The results of the test pitting have previously been used to provide a Geoarchaeological Landscape Characterisation (GLC), which divided the Scheme route into 17 Geoarchaeological Character Zones (GCZs) based on difference in the Quaternary geological deposits present The monitoring has successfully characterised the Quaternary deposits present at selected GI locations. Whilst no archaeology or deposits with potential to preserve significant palaeoenvironmental remains were identified during the monitoring, the combined results of the monitoring and geoarchaeological test pitting (Wessex Archaeology 2024b) have established that the Scheme will impact on Pleistocene river terraces of the River Test that have the potential to contain significant Lower and Middle Palaeolithic archaeology. Deposits belonging to four terraces of River Test will be impacted. These terraces are located along the sides of the Test Valley within four GCZs of the Scheme's GLC (Wessex Archaeology 2024b). In summary, these are: GCZ 3 - Bitterne or the Nursling Terraces (MIS 14 and 13b; 563 -478 Kya). These terraces have the potential to contain Lower Palaeolithic lithic artefacts relating to the earliest period of Palaeolithic settlement history in the region. GCZ 5 - Mottisfont/Lower Warsash Terrace. (MIS 9-8; 337-243 Kya). This terrace dates to the transitional archaeological period between the late Lower and early Middle Palaeolithic and can contain significant early Middle Palaeolithic archaeology. A flake was recovered from these terrace deposits during the test pitting evaluation (Wessex Archaeology 2024b), whilst Palaeolithic artefacts were recovered from these terrace deposits in Cottage End Gravel Pit, located 250m to the west of the Scheme route (Wymer and Wessex Archaeology 2009). GCZ 6 - Hamble Terrace (MIS 7-6; 243-130 Kya). This terrace dates to the early Middle Palaeolithic, a key period early Neanderthal occupation in the region. The terrace deposits can contain significant early Middle Palaeolithic archaeology. GCZ 8 - Broadland's Farm Terrace (MIS 4; 71-57 Kya). The age of this terrace is within period when the region was occupied by late Neanderthal populations and could contain significant late Middle Palaeolithic archaeology. The results of the GI monitoring, combined with those of the geoarchaeological test pitting evaluation (Wessex Archaeology 2024b), have demonstrated that the Scheme will impact on Pleistocene river terraces of the River Test that have significant geoarchaeological potential. In order to mitigate against these impacts, a program of further targeted geoarchaeological test pits guided by a series Scheme-specific research objectives is recommended.