Event/Activity EPM115 - Archaeological Watching Brief at Paulsgrove Primary School, Allaway Road, Paulsgrove, Portsmouth

An archaeological watching brief was carried out by Southampton Archaeology Unit on the construction of a new primary school in Allaway Road, Paulsgrove, in 2009. A total of 20 trenches were observed. Trenches 1 -7 were dug to remove tree roots, and with the exception of trench 1, measured 1m long, 1m wide and 0.5m deep. Trenches 8-13 and 16-19 were service trenches situated mainly in the southern part of the site. The trenches were mostly 0.75m-2.0m deep, and varied in width between 600mm to 2.0m. Trenches 14 and 20 measured 1.8m deep at the west and 0.75m to the east, and were level reductions for footings. Trench 15 was 0.75m deep and had been dug for a road at the north of the site. There was the potential for archaeology to be revealed during the works as the site lies in an area where scattered prehistoric finds have been recovered. The exact site of the medieval settlement of Paulsgrove is also unknown. The only archaeological features observed were modern, probably 20th century in date. These comprised: an undated field drain in the north of the site, a pit and a probable modern field drain. A spread of rubble and other 19th-20th century finds across the whole of the site might have been deposited when Paulsgrove was developed for housing in the 1950s. A total of seven worked flints and 33 complete sheep metapodials were found in unstratified contexts. The flints were consistant with a late Bronze Age date, and would suggest activity in this area during the late prehistoric period. Accession number: 2009/89