Hankin’s Garage,47 West Street,Alresford,Hampshire

A watching brief preceding four evaluation trenches on the site of a proposed development at Hankin's Garage proved the existence of medieval and postmedieval features on site. The superficial stratigraphy was all of 19th and 20th century origin so was removed during a strip, map and sample exercise which served as mitigation for the development that followed the evaluation. Apart from modern disturbances and foundations, the stripping revealed a ditch and post holes representing property and other boundaries dating from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Various other features were interpreted as postholes for structures, rubbish pits, planting holes and a well. Dating was based on pottery in the fills but residuality was considered. There were no obvious reasons to reject the association of most finds with the context they were in. Some doubt must remain as none of the features were sealed, although some lower fills were buried by the fills above them. An attempt has been made to interpret the boundaries in the context of the tenement layout of the planned town as it survived in the 1870, First Edition, Ordnance Survey map.