EDO4219 - Old County Hospital Site, Somerleigh Road, Dorchester; observations and recording 1999

Excavations of two areas at the Old County Hospital site in Dorchester were undertaken by AC Archaeology during the spring of 1999. This comprised the excavation of two areas, A/B to the south and C to the north, as well as a subsequent watching brief. An archaeological watching brief was maintained across the site during all groundworks and earthmoving operations. In the area to the north of Somerleigh Court further walls, post-holes and a tesselated pavement were recorded associated with buildings excavated in area A/B. Also, a N-S street was recorded parallel to but just to the east of Somerleigh Road. To the east of the former County Hospital building, further walls of probable Romano-British date were recorded. The subsequent excavations carried out by Wessex Archaeology in the southern part of the site meant that very little monitoring was carried out in this area. A Romano-British quarry pit was observed nevertheless, the material from which may have been used to construct the town ramparts immediately to the south and west.