Event/Activity EPM110 - Report on a Programme of Archaeological Works At the former St Michael's Lodge, Stone Street, Southsea, Hampshire

An archaeological evaluation was carried out by West Sussex Archaeology in September 2009, in advance of ground works for a new development at the former St Michael's Lodge, Stone Street, Southsea. Planning permission had been granted for a four-storey building (87 bed-space nursing home) on the site. The evaluation was undertaken in order to ascertain whether a full watching brief would be required during the building work. Site Background: Primary sources showed the earliest evidence of occupation on the site were streets and buildings marked on the 1810 Ordnance Survey map, which formed part of an area originally known as 'Croxton Town' built c.1809. The 1835 Maynard map indicated the same houses and streets appeared on the 1868-1881 large scale OS maps, which show terraced housing fronting onto Gold Street, Diamond Street and Silver Street. These buildings were damaged during the Second World War, and subsequently pulled down during the 1950s and 1960s. St. Michael's Lodge was built on the site between 1955-1960, and was demolished ahead of the new development. Evaluation: Four 2m wide trenches were excavated. Trench 1 ran 32m along the western side of the proposed new building; Trench 2 ran parallel along the eastern side for 29m; Trench 3, intended to link Trenches 1 and 2, stopped short of trench 1 by 5m, and was 16m long; Trench 4 ran at right angles to Trench 2 at it's southern end, and was 15m long. Brick foundations belonging to the terraced houses of Croxton Town which fronted onto Diamond street, and the remains of the Diamond Street road surface, were revealed during the evaluation. These buildings were recorded as they represent the earliest part of Southsea and do not remain above ground level. Although the constuction of St. Michael's Lodge had partially destroyed these remains, a high proportion are thought to survive elsewhere, as the new post-war buildings were setback from the road frontages and have therefore preserved the foundations of the terraces. No archaeological deposits pre-dating the Croxton Town development were encountered. Accession number: 2009/104