Watching Brief (Archaeological Observation), Berkshire
Watching Brief (Archaeological Observation) on behalf of South East Water for engineering groundworks relating to the Swinley Forest Strategic Water Main
The scheme comprised two pipeline routes and covered approximately 3.3km within an area used for military exercises since the 18th century. Topsoil was removed to establish a working easement followed by open cut trenching for pipeline installation. Parts of Swinley Forest remain in MOD ownership.
In Brief
Watching Brief (Archaeological Observation) ; Post-Excavation Assessment
Location: Swinley Forest Strategic Water Main, Bracknell, BerkshireKey Points
Watching Brief for Water Main3.3km of pipelineSecond World War storage tank recordedNo evidence of Roman roads uncoveredResults
Visible remains of military use included Napoleonic earthwork redoubts and a cluster of five possible Second World War tank traps. Our Observation revealed a possible Second World War storage tank immediately southeast of the tank traps. No evidence was found relating to two Roman roads presumed to have been disturbed during forest management.
Engineering groundworks enabled…