Event/Activity EPM114 - Recreation Ground, Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth

An archaeological field evaluation was carried out by Thames Valley Archaeological Services at the former Recreation Ground off Peronne Road Hilsea in 2011, ahead of the construction of new housing on the site. A total of 13 trenches ranging from 20-21.8m in length and 0.33-1.3m in depth, were excavated using a mechanical digger to expose archaeologically sensitive levels. The stripped areas were then cleaned using hand tools, and the spoilheaps monitored for finds. The trenches targeted areas of proposed new buildings and access roads, although the positions of three trenches in the north-eastern part of the site had to be adjusted slightly due to a large number of services being present in this area of the site. The site is located in a low-lying coastal area, where salt production is known to have taken place during the post-medieval period, and which may have earlier origins. It is also adjacent to two areas of archaeological potential. That to the south defines the possible extent of medieval and post-medieval Hilsea, and the area to the north covers the defences along Portscreek and is of particular importance for post-medieval archaeology. Several archaeological features were revealed during the evaluation, comprising one ditch, two pits and five gullies. One of the gullies was dated to the middle-late Bronze Age, and one of the pits was dated to the Medieval period. Finds comprised Bronze Age and Medieval pottery (single sherd), animal bone, flint flakes, burnt flint and oyster shell. As no archaeological deposits were identified in the north eastern corner of the site, the location of a demolished building and car parking, it is possible that truncation of the archaeologically relevant levels had taken place in this area. Accession number: 2011/8