EDO4132 - Magistrates Court, County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester; Trench E

In January 1991 Wessex Archaeology undertook an archaeological evaluation of an area to the west of the South Wing of County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester. The work was undertaken in advance of a proposed extension to the Magistrates Court building. The evaluation comprised the hand-excavation of nine trenches (A-J) to the top of the natural chalk. The trenches were located in available areas either within flower beds, areas of hard-standing or the lawn fronting the County Hall building. The total area examined consisted of 23 square metres. Almost all the trenches lay within the area of a substantial terrace cut into the the north-facing slope during the 1939 construction works for County Hall. The total extent and depth of terracing was not determined, but the southern and western limits presumably lie close to the tail of the rampart of the Roman town defences, and parallel to the frontage of the County Hall building and was up to about 1.5m in depth. All stratification above chalk bedrock had been removed by the construction of this terrace. Trench E measured 1m x 1m, was located towards the centre of the evaluation site and was excavated to a maximum depth of 1.02m. The sequence of deposits comprised 0.26m topsoil above 0.53m of modern hardcore, above 0.08m concrete above chalk bedrock. No finds were recovered.