Event/Activity EPM250 - Archaeological Watching Brief at Building 1, North Campus, University of Portsmouth

Southampton Archaeology Unit carried out a watching brief on groundworks for the construction of a new building at the University of Portsmouth's North Campus in Lion Terrace between the 28th August 2007 and 7th September 2007. The development site crossed the line of the 18th century Portsea fortifications which had been demolished in the mid-1800s. An archaeological evaluation carried out at the development site by Southampton Archaeology Unit in 2006 had revealed features relating to the fortifications, including the ditch, a stone revetment to the earthen rampart and a stone structure which may have been a buttress. The groundworks for the new building involved a level reduction over the area of the site, an exploratory excavation to determine the extent of the stone structures recorded during the evaluation, the excavation of a lift pit within the moat area, and excavation of pile positions through the stone structures. The work revealed substantial sections of the 18th century curtain wall, a brick and timber foundation beneath the wall, and the backfill of the ditch. A soil horizon which pre-dated the fortifications and late 19th/early 20th century features were also recorded.