WADBURY CAMP, MELLS, MENDIP, SOMERSET: the excavation of four archaeological trial pits in advance of garden pond construction.

Dr. John Davey, October 2012

The South Front of Wadbury House

Summary The excavation of four trial trenches was undertaken in advance of the construction of a garden pond at Wadbury House, Mells during September 2012. Wadbury is a grade II listed country house in the Italianate style. It was built during the early 19th century within the defended enclosure of an Iron Age Hillfort, Wadbury Camp, which has been afforded statutory protection as a scheduled Monument. The archaeological evaluation was undertaken in order to better understand the archaeological potential of the south garden of Wadbury House prior to the granting of Scheduled Monument Consent for ground works associated with a new garden pond. No significant archaeological finds or features predating the 19th century construction of the house were recorded during the evaluation. It appears that archaeological layers were severely truncated during the initial landscaping of the garden in the 19th century. 19th and 20th century finds and deposits were recovered and recorded. A few prehistoric flint flakes were also recovered from residual contexts.