Event/Activity EPM240 - Archaeological watching brief at Eastney Cruising Association

An archaeological watching brief was carried out by Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit on the construction of a careening apron southeast of the slipway on Ferry Road, Eastney, on the 11th and 12th May 2015. The work was undertaken on behalf of the Eastney Cruising Association. The site is located on the west shore of Eastney Point near the north end of Eastney spit. Eastney spit has been identified as an area of archaeological potential, principally of importance for prehistoric archaeology. Archaeological monitoring took place on the excavation of a flat area 10m x 15m on the foreshore to enable the construction of a concrete platform adjacent to the slipway. The earliest deposit was a layer of loose, gravely, pale brown sand which was present across the entire trench. This was visible prior to excavation in the south eastern extent of the trench, but was covered by a layer of very wet black silt in the north westerly part. The deposit was excavated to 400mm below the modern ground surface at its south eastern edge, but the base was not exposed. The sandy gravel appeared to be natural, but the presence of modern bricks showed that it had been disturbed by recent activity, possibly related to the construction of the adjacent slipway 20 years earlier. The layer of black silt contained pieces of boats, modern ropes and chains, large pieces of painted wood and hardboard, and modern glass. This was excavated to a depth of 400mm in the west of the trench but the base was not exposed. The silt was 350mm thick in the north of the trench where a lighter grey sandy deposit was revealed beneath. No evidence of pre-20th century human activity was identified. Museum Accession No: 2015/178