Event/Activity EPM266 - Watching brief on improvements to paths and lighting at Fort Cumberland, Portsmouth

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by English Heritage on excavations to improve the path network and lighting provision at Fort Cumberland between December 2001 and January 2002. Trenches were excavated using a small mechanical excavator. Where archaeological features were encountered machine digging was halted and the features excavated by hand. Excavations in archaeologically sensitive and previously undisturbed areas was also carried out by hand. A trench to house new cables, wiring and concrete footings for new lighting measured 0.40m wide x 0.60m deep and was approximately 110m long. This trench was located along the side of the road between the right curtain wall sally port and the main gateway into the fort (north-west). Where possible this trench followed the line of earlier services where the ground had previously been disturbed. A series of smaller excavations measuring 0.75m x 0.75m x 0.25m deep for lamp post footings were carried out in the following locations: immediately adjacent to and to the north-west corner of the Wagon Shed; adjacent to and to the north-eastern corner of the Laying Out Shed; by the side of the perimeter road to the north-west of the Garage. A series of trenches were excavated for paths around the fort. These were mainly excavated by a mechanical excavator but excavataion by hand was carried out where archaeological deposits were present. A trench to the north-east of the perimetre road of the parade ground ran from the right curtain sally port to a car park adjacent to the Laying Out Shed and was approximately 100m long, 2.1m wide and 0.3m deep. This was mainly excavated through previously undisturbed ground. A trench excavated for disabled parking bays in a car park adjacent to the Laying Out Shed measured 6.7m x 4.9m and was approximately 0.3m deep. A machine excavated trench to the west of and in front of the Officer's Blocks Houses 1-4 was 55m long, 1.4m wide and 0.3m deep. A trench excavated to the north-west of the Motor Transport Shed was 12.75m long, 1.4m and 0.3m deep. Archaeological remains encountered during the watching brief included part of the brick counterscarp wall to the dry ditch and deposits relating to the parade ground.