308 THE WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY MAGAZINE 
Stonehenge Improvement in Wiltshire, Areas R 
and T; which lie south of the A303 and include 
Stonehenge Bottom, King Barrow Ridge and land 
as far east as Stonehenge Road. The northern part 
of Area R contains a Scheduled Monument (long 
barrow, SM 10314), and the remains of a milestone 
(Listed Grade II, Amesbury 5/7) are situated 
adjacent to the A303 within Area T. The underlying 
geology comprises Middle Chalk. Periglacial and 
colluvial deposits are known to exist in Stonehenge 
Bottom. Evaluation comprised the excavation of 29 
trial trenches. Features of archaeological interest 
were found in only four of these. A sequence of 
periglacial and colluvial deposits was recorded in 
Stonehenge Bottom. A buried ditch previously 
recorded from cropmark evidence as Site 518 was 
recorded in Site R and produced Bronze Age worked 
flint. Other features consisted of an undated gully 
and an irregular linear feature thought to be a former 
hedgeline in Area R, and a former hollow way and 
associated cart ruts, together with traces of the 
former Stonehenge airfield, in Area T. Only a few 
worked flints and animal bones were recovered and 
no pottery. Trenches were variously targeted to 
examine features predicted by geophysical 
anomalies or cropmark evidence but only one 
trench successfully encountered a cropmark 
feature. In only three trenches were the anomalies 
found to represent buried archaeological remains; 
otherwise they represent natural features or 
variations in the chalk substrata. 
Winterslow 
Roman road, Middle Winterslow SU237 331; Modern 
A watching brief was undertaken during the 
excavation of wall foundation trenches for two new 
houses close to the presumed course of the Roman 
road in Middle Winterslow. Observations of the 
trench sections observed a thin topsoil overlying 
800mm of silty clay which in turn sealed natural 
clay-with-flints and bedrock chalk. No pre-modern 
archaeological features, deposits or individual finds 
were noted. 
Wroughton 
Swindon Data Centre (SU 1600 7935); Modern 
The Oxford Archaeological Unit (OA) carried out a 
field evaluation at the Swindon Data Centre on 
behalf of Watkins Gray International LLP in July 
2003. A line of postholes and a pit were found 
beneath the remains of modern levelling of the site 
and subsequent deposits of made-ground 
indicating possible modern construction of the 
World War II hospital. These are considered to be 
modern and no finds were recovered. 
Wylye 
A303 Wylye to Stockton Wood Improvement (ST 9910 
3654 to ST 9600 3538); Prehistoric-Medieval 
Wessex Archaeology carried out an archaeological 
appraisal of land along the line of the present A303 
between Wylye and Stockton Wood in advance of 
proposed road improvements. The area contains a 
large number of archaeologically significant 
features, ranging from boundary and field systems, 
possible barrows, and a Roman road and settlement. 
Two scheduled monuments lie close by: the 70ha 
complex of Stockton Earthworks (WA 7) 200m to 
the north of the road corridor and a section of the 
substantial bank and ditch of Grim’s Ditch (WA 8), 
which is crossed by the route of the proposed 
improvement. An 18th-century milestone (WA 22) 
lying 200m to the west of the western end of the 
proposed road improvements is included on the 
Register of Grade II Listed Buildings. A Roman 
Road is projected as running through the western 
half of the study area and is crossed by the current 
line of the A303. Recent fieldwork found no 
surviving traces at the estimated crossing point, 
although the road and associated features may be 
recoverable elsewhere. Undated field systems and 
enclosures/boundary ditches cover a large area of 
the eastern half of the study area (up to 40%), 
bisected by the A303 (WA 9-14 and 19). While 
some of these field systems have suffered damage 
from ploughing, a number of elements have 
survived in good condition. Two cropmarks 
denoting the sites of possible barrows (WA 3 and 4) 
have also been identified close to the road corridor. 
The potential for the survival of early 
archaeological evidence, both on the line of the 
present A303 and in its immediate surroundings, 
must be considered very high, with the potential for 
surviving remains of regional or national 
importance. 
