Evaluation and subsequent excavation by J McKinley of Wessex, for MEPC, was carried out in advance of the redevelopment of the estate. The evaluation identified three broad zones within the site: the edge of the town gravel island, a broad alluvium filled channel to the north and, beyond this, a second gravel island. Subsequent work concentrated on the two islands. Excavation on the northern island (centred at TQ 033 719) recorded part of an enclosure/field system of Bronze Age date and another of Roman date, as well as agricultural features from the medieval period. Excavation on the edge of the town island (centred at TQ 036 717) identified two major episodes of alluviation, in between which a substantial palaeo-channel formed. The upper fills of this feature are thought to be Neolithic in date; a preliminary examination of samples taken indicates that it flowed through an open rather than wooded environment. A small number of features containing no datable finds can also be attributed to the prehistoric period on stratigraphic grounds. A series of Roman boundary ditches roughly parallel with the High Street were identified, presumably separating the settlement area from marginal land to the north. In the medieval period the land appears to have been divided into burgage plots; the different plots showed evidence for different usage.