Monument MPM1430 - Iron Age and Roman occupation, Hilsea Bus Depot

Iron Age and Roman occupation revealed during an archaeological evaluation at the former Hilsea Bus Depot site in 2013. Finds included pottery, flint flakes and large quantities of burnt flint.

Evidence of late Iron Age and Roman occupation was recorded during an archaeological evaluation and watching brief at the former Hilsea Bus Depot site in 2013. A number of prehistoric/Roman layers containing pottery, flint flakes and burnt flint were revealed, together with an irregular-shaped pit. It was thought that the quantity of burnt flint recovered from the deposits suggests evidence of occupation on the site, rather than the manuring of fields/farming.

Four prehistoric/Roman layers were situated above a pale brown subsoil. The subsoil was 0.5m below the present ground surface, and measured 200mm thick in the areas where it was undisturbed. It contained three burnt flints, a flint flake, and a crude flint core, which suggested that it had been disturbed during the prehistoric period. No archaeological features were identified.

Two fragments from the base of a Rowland's Castle greyware jar, eight burnt flints and two worked flint flakes were recovered from a layer (30) of yellowish brown silty clay 100mm thick, in the centre of the site. This layer was thought to represent the upper part of another prehistoric layer (56/180).

A layer (31) of greyish brown silty clay 200mm below the ground surface and 300mm thick, contained burnt flints and flecks of charcoal.

A layer (56/180) of yellowish brown silty clay 300mm thick, was situated above the natural silty clay and below a post-medieval layer, to the south and east of Hilsea Lines. It was made up of two contexts, 56 and 180. Context 180 contained 20 sherds of grog-tempered pottery, a sherd in a sandy fabric, and a rim sherd from a Romano-British greyware jar. Context 56 contained 10 sherds of flint-tempered pottery, a fragment of fired clay loom-weight, 88 burnt flints, four flint flakes and six fragments of broken flint nodules, the latter possibly resulting from flint-working at the site.

Prehistoric finds were also recovered from layers associated with 18th and 19th century activity on the site. Burnt flint and a flint flake were recovered from a layer (55) in the northeast of the site, which overlay prehistoric/Roman layer 56, and had been cut by the post-medieval Hilsea Lines defences. This layer also contained fragments of 19th century brick and 18th century Staffordshire salt-glazed pottery. Another layer (19/34) contained eight burnt flints, one crude core, three flint flakes, and a base sherd from a flint-tempered jar, probably of Iron Age date. This layer was situated above layer 55, and was thought to represent redeposited material from prehistoric/Roman layer 56.

Accession No: 2013/850

Anderson, E L, Russel, A D, 2014, Report on the Archaeological Evaluation and Watching Brief at the Hilsea Bus Depot site, Portsmouth (Unpublished document). SPM258.