Description

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by CgMs Consulting to undertake an archaeological evaluation in August 2008 in advance of proposed redevelopment of the western part of the former Queen Mary’s Hospital at Carshalton in south London, centred on NGR 527770 162440.

The evaluation comprised the excavation and recording of 15 trial trenches located in the hospital grounds and were mostly positioned between the existing buildings. Of the 19 trenches originally proposed, 4 trenches could not be excavated due to site constraints.
Archaeological features comprising ditches and a pit containing a horses head of Romano-British date were found on the eastern edge of the Site in Trench 6 and would suggest a degree of settlement activity in the Early Roman period on the Site.

To the west of Trench 6, a probable Bronze Age ditch, partially exposed in Trench 7 may be associated with the Scheduled Bronze Age enclosure (SM163) to the southeast.
Trenches 15 and 18 dug in garden areas in the north-west of the Site both revealed a series of closely spaced parallel features interpreted as possible planting trenches used to increase food production in one of the World Wars.