EDO4158 - St John Ambulance Hall, North Square, Dorchester; evaluation 2000

Terrain Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation of the former St John Ambulance Hall, North Square, Dorchester, during February 2000 (1) (2) (3). This followed a desk-based assessment of the site in January 2000 (4). Four hand dug test pits were excavated in February 2000. Trenches 2 and 4 were subsequently re-excavated for engineer's test pits in March 2000, under archaeological supervision (1). Roman levels were only encountered in a single test pit on the Friary Lane frontage. Here, part of mortared flint and limestone wall was exposed. A later Roman chalk surface covered the remains of this wall. The remains of two successive post-medieval buildings fronting onto Friary Lane were also discovered. In the corner of North Square and Friary Lane, all archaeological deposits had been destroyed by cellaring. To the east of the hall, at the rear of the property, 19th century deposits over 1.6m deep were encountered, indicating there had been substantial landscaping of this area.