Event/Activity EPM245 - Watching Brief Anchorage Park Coastal Defence Scheme

A watching brief was carried out by MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) on coastal defence works at Anchorage Park between the 1st June 2015 and the 22nd October 2015. Further monitoring took place on test trenches on the 4th February 2016. The watching brief comprised of monitoring of the excavation of panels for the installation of geotextile and rock armour by the as part of Phase 1 works of the project. The excavations were carried out on the toe level of the existing coastal defences and on the earthen embankments of these defences as part of the refurbishing and consolidation works of these structures. The excavations revealed the type and character of the natural deposits. The top lies at c. 1.50m OD. The refurbishing of the earthen embankments revealed the structural composition of the coastal defences. Two lines of timber stakes near the spit in the Ports Creek area of the site were plotted onto GIS and they most likely formed part of an old timber revetment or associated feature. An east-west retaining wall near Ports Creek Railway Bridge was also recorded. It was made of a single course of granite cobbles bounded together with yellowish grey concrete and post-date the Hilsea Lines. No evidence of the Pickett- Hamilton fort Scheduled Ancient Monument were revealed during the excavation works. The work also involved the monitoring of four small test trenches in the compound and storage areas of the site at Anchorage Park on the 4th February 2016. The trenches were excavated by mechanical digger and measured c 6.00m to 8.00m in length, 0.60m to 0.80m in width and up to 0.70m deep. The excavated material was related to modern activity on the site. Accession No: 2015/106