Event/Activity EPM85 - Archaeological watching brief at 9 St. James's Street, Portsea, Portsmouth. March 2001-January 2002

Watching brief carried out during excavation by JCB of eight geotechnical test trenches prior to the construction of new housing on the 7th March 2001, and during the excavation of foundation trenches on the 9th January 2002 at 9 St James' Street, Portsea. The site was situated within the northwestern corner of the northern arm of The Mill Pond. This was a large tidal pond shown on maps dating from the 16th to the late 18th century, which had been infilled by 1867. The watching brief revealed extensive early modern infill across the whole site, which ranged in depth from 1m at the western end to 2.3m at the east. These layers contained 19th century pottery, which are thought to relate to the infilling of the pond. Below the infill in the two eastern trenches were alluvial or marine deposits, containing 18th century pottery. This is thought to have probably been lost when the Mill Pond was still open. Accession number 2001/10