Source/Archive record SEM8570 - New Ticket Office, Dunster Castle, Castle Hill, Dunster, Somerset: Results of archaeological monitoring and recording

Monitored groundworks comprised the creation of a terrace within the footprint of the new ticket office. A total of 21 augured pile pits were then excavated (Fig. 1, Plate 2). The natural subsoil (context 102) was encountered in each pile pit at a depth of c. 0.45m below existing levels and was overlain by a 0.2m thick mid brownish-red silty-clay subsoil beneath a dark brown silty-loam topsoil (100). A single feature representing a possible pit (F104) was exposed in one of the pile pits (Fig. 1b and Plate 3). The possible pit, which cut through the subsoil, measured 0.22m across and 0.14m deep with a steeply sloping concave profile. It contained a dark grey silt fill (103) with frequent charcoal inclusions. No finds were recovered. A small assemblage of 18th to 19th century finds was recovered from topsoil and subsoil. This included 14 sherds of pottery (locally-made coarse glazed earthenware, industrially produced stonewares and white wares, blue-on-white transfer printed ware and flowerpot), four fragments of roofing pantile and a fragment of modern copper alloy sheet. This is broadly D-shaped with one original curving edge. Its original form cannot be discerned. Only limited exposure of the natural subsoil was achieved within the pile pits. A simple overlying sequence of subsoil and topsoil layers was encountered, which has been dated to the post-medieval period. Possible pit F104 was undated and had an uncertain function. However, as this was cut into the subsoil this was also of likely post-medieval to modern origin. The recovery of the 18th to 19th century pottery was comparable with the results from the previous works within the car par to the north.